Opportunistic fungal pathogens and the diverse community of the small mammal lung mycobiome

Nearly 200 lungs acquired from the Museum of Southwestern Biology and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology were sequenced from a variety of southwestern small mammals to explore the fungal community. The lungs of small mammals harbor diverse fungi including many common in the environment (e.g. Penicillium and Aspergillus species), others associated with the human mycobiome (e.g. Malassezia and Candida species), and still others specifically adapted to inhabit lung tissue (e.g. Coccidioides, Blastomyces and Pneumocystis species).