Fungal mycobiome as probiotics, diagnostics and therapeutics
The present invention relates to methods of using fungal mycobiome as a means of treating and/or diagnosing diseases in a subject. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease based on the composition of fungal strains present in the gut of a subject, and treating the subject by administering a probiotic biotherapy. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of diagnosing a severe form of ulcerative colitis by detecting the presence of a deficiency in dectin-1 expression in s. fibuligera in the gut of a subject.
1. A method of diagnosing susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a subject, and treating said subject, comprising:
obtaining a sample from the subject;
subjecting the sample to a genotyping assay adapted to determine the presence or absence of one or more risk variants at the Dectin-1 gene (CLEC7A), wherein the genotyping assay comprises using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and wherein the one or more risk variants comprises rs2078178 (SEQ ID NO: 27), rs16910631 (SEQ ID NO: 28) or a combination thereof;
diagnosing susceptibility to IBD in the subject based on the presence of one or more risk variants at the Dectin-1 gene (CLEC7A); and
administering an anti-fungal drug to the subject.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein IBD is a severe form of ulcerative colitis.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein IBD is based on the inability to control fungi in the gut of the individual.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-fungal drug is fluconazole.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein IBD is medically refractory ulcerative colitis (MRUC).