Human respiratory tract mycobiome and alterations in HIV infection and lung disease Targeted Locus (Loci)

Whether there are resident fungal communities in the respiratory tract is unknown, and wide gaps exist in our understanding of occult fungal infections in chronic lung diseases or in individuals with systemic disease. In this study, we characterized fungal diversity at different levels of the respiratory tract including oral washes (OW), induced sputum (IS) and bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) from 56 individuals. We also examined relationship of fungal communities to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and to HIV infection.