Cooperative Evolutionary Strategy between the Bacteriome and Mycobiome

Abstract

ABSTRACT Nonhealing chronic wounds are all unique in origin and circumstance, and attempting to isolate a single etiology for the failure of a wound to heal is daunting. Wounds represent complex systems of multispecies fungal and bacterial biofilms. The survival strategies of interactive microbial communities have led to cooperative evolutionary strategies that culminate in biofilm formation. In microbial dysbiosis, biofilms are beneficial to both bacterial and fungal communities but detrimental to the host. Fungi benefit by a surge in their virulence factors, while bacteria become tolerant to antibacterials as a consequence of living under the protective umbrella of the biofilm matrix. This interkingdom cooperation negatively impacts the host, as the fungi and bacteria produce extracellular enzymes that inflict tissue damage, leading to an increase in proinflammatory cytokines, which results in oxidative damage and apoptotic cell death.