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Background <p>Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with gut microbiota alterations, but the role of the fungal microbiota remains underexplored. We conducted a prospective study quantifying absolute bacterial and fungal abundance in faecal samples from UC patients with varying disease activity.</p> Methods <p>We amplified the ITS2 sequence (fungi) and 16&#xa0;S rRNA gene (bacteria) in three groups of patients: UC long remission (UClr); UC short remission (UCsr) and UC flare (UCfl). Two faecal samples from UClr and UCsr, and one sample from UCfl group (at flare-onset) were collected.</p> Results <p>Eighty-seven patients were included: 29 UClr, 20 UCsr, and 38 UCfl. Across all patients, fungal ITS2 gene copies were markedly lower than bacterial 16&#xa0;S rRNA copies (median 9.27E + 05 vs. 4.28E + 11 copies/g), with a fungal-to-bacterial ratio of 1:461,000. Fungal abundance was significantly higher in UCfl than in UClr (<i>p</i> = 0.0026), but not UCsr. The ITS2/16S ratio was also elevated in UCfl versus both remission groups (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). Over time, fungal abundance showed greater variability than bacterial abundance, with a modest but significant decrease in the ITS2/16S ratio at 8 weeks (<i>p</i> = 0.029).</p> Conclusion <p>While bacterial loads remained stable across disease states, fungal abundance and the fungal-to-bacterial ratio were higher during UC flares. These findings describe an association between fungal dynamics and disease activity in UC and support further investigation of inter-kingdom microbial relationships in this context.</p>

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Fungal abundance across flare and remission in ulcerative colitis patients

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月16日

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  • Claudia Herrera-deGuise,
  • Encarna Varela,
  • Guillaume Sarrabayrouse,
  • Francisca Yáñez,
  • Luis Mayorga-Ayala,
  • Virginia Robles-Alonso,
  • Elena Céspedes-Martínez,
  • Xavier Serra-Ruiz,
  • Ernesto Lastiri,
  • Francisco Guarner,
  • Natalia Borruel Sainz

摘要

Background

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with gut microbiota alterations, but the role of the fungal microbiota remains underexplored. We conducted a prospective study quantifying absolute bacterial and fungal abundance in faecal samples from UC patients with varying disease activity.

Methods

We amplified the ITS2 sequence (fungi) and 16 S rRNA gene (bacteria) in three groups of patients: UC long remission (UClr); UC short remission (UCsr) and UC flare (UCfl). Two faecal samples from UClr and UCsr, and one sample from UCfl group (at flare-onset) were collected.

Results

Eighty-seven patients were included: 29 UClr, 20 UCsr, and 38 UCfl. Across all patients, fungal ITS2 gene copies were markedly lower than bacterial 16 S rRNA copies (median 9.27E + 05 vs. 4.28E + 11 copies/g), with a fungal-to-bacterial ratio of 1:461,000. Fungal abundance was significantly higher in UCfl than in UClr (p = 0.0026), but not UCsr. The ITS2/16S ratio was also elevated in UCfl versus both remission groups (p < 0.01). Over time, fungal abundance showed greater variability than bacterial abundance, with a modest but significant decrease in the ITS2/16S ratio at 8 weeks (p = 0.029).

Conclusion

While bacterial loads remained stable across disease states, fungal abundance and the fungal-to-bacterial ratio were higher during UC flares. These findings describe an association between fungal dynamics and disease activity in UC and support further investigation of inter-kingdom microbial relationships in this context.