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Tritrichomonas spp. and Their Impact on Gut Immune Homeostasis

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Eukaryome Impact on Human Intestine Homeostasis and Mucosal Immunology

Abstract

The intestinal microbiota, the collection of all microorganisms residing in our gastrointestinal tract, provides a plethora of microbial diversity. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, worms and protozoa are the primary microorganisms comprising our microbiota. These microbes include representative species capable of both causing severe harm or symbiotic benefits to their host. In relation, the host immune system has evolved complex detection systems to identify members of each microbial faction and interpret their harmful or peaceful capabilities. As a consequence, our immune system mounts appropriate responses to either eliminate or tolerate members of our microbiota. Protozoa are an underappreciated kingdom within our microbiota and the interactions of these microbes with our immune system remain understudied. Several recent reports have demonstrated that the presence of Tritrichomonas spp. in the intestinal tract of mice and men facilitates novel interactions with our host immune system. Within this chapter, we are summarizing the most recent knowledge on how Tritrichomonads, as a newly emerging group of intestinal protozoan commensals, shape and communicate with our intestinal immune system.

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Acknowledgements

E.Y.C. and A.M. would like to thank all members of #theonlylabever for their continued support and discussions. Figure 10.1 was created with BioRender.

Funding

A.M. is supported by CIHR-Project Grant (388337) and NSERC-Discovery Grant (RGPIN-2019-04521). A.M. is the Tier 2 Canadian Research Chair in Mucosal Immunology and supported by the Tier 2 CRC-CIHR program.

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  1. Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, M5S 1A8, Toronto, Canada

    Eric Yixiao Cao & Arthur Mortha

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  1. Eric Yixiao Cao
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Correspondence to Arthur Mortha .

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  1. Institute Pasteur, Paris, France

    Nancy Guillen

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Cao, E.Y., Mortha, A. (2020). Tritrichomonas spp. and Their Impact on Gut Immune Homeostasis. In: Guillen, N. (eds) Eukaryome Impact on Human Intestine Homeostasis and Mucosal Immunology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44826-4_10

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