About this Research Topic

Background

The microbiome, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, has been described in health as well as disease states. Athletes have significantly different gut microbiota from controls and obese subjects. Significantly different intestinal microbial compositions have been demonstrated even in mental disorders.

Given the physical proximity, liver disease and intestinal disease have a critical impact on the structure of the gut microbiome, and they are themselves dramatically affected by changes of the gut microbiome. Liver disease comprises non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and alcoholic liver disease including fatty liver, fibrosis/cirrhosis, or liver cancer; viral hepatitis, acute liver failure, acute-on-chronic liver disease, hemochromatosis, Wilson’s disease, autoimmune hepatitis, amyloidosis-related liver disease, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, and glycogen storage disease amongst others. Similarly, biliary disease such as primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, or biliary atresia is associated with intestinal dysbiosis, or microbial imbalance. Finally, intestinal disease with the well-studied Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, colorectal cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and celiac disease have been linked to deleterious changes of gut microbiota in one form or another.

The relationship between microbiome and intestine/hepatobiliary system has been investigated with a multitude of tools, amongst them metagenomics (composition and structure of the microbiome), metatranscriptomics (expression of genes of the microbiome) and metabolomics (what metabolites or byproducts such as bile acids, fatty acids, amino acids or carbohydrates are being produced). Bacteria are the most-examined group of the intestinal microbiome. However, the role of fungi and viruses is becoming more and more a focus of scientific attention. This collection has as its goal an update on the current knowledge of the function of bacteria, fungi and viruses in initiation and progression of hepatobiliary and intestinal disease.

We therefore welcome our colleagues to submit original manuscripts and reviews as well as perspectives, methods and technology reports to provide a comprehensive overview of the bidirectional relationship between microbiome and hepatobiliary/intestinal disease in particular in the aforementioned disease states.

Keywords: Microbiome, Liver disease, Intestinal disease, Bacteria, Fungi, Viruses

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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