Do antifungals improve Crohn's symptoms?

Antifungal from Wikipedia

Fungus from Wikipedia

"Interactions Between Commensal Fungi and the C-Type Lectin Receptor Dectin-1 Influence Colitis" in Science, Underhill et al. (2012)
"The intestinal microflora, typically equated with bacteria, influences diseases such as obesity and inflammatory bowel disease. Here, we show that the mammalian gut contains a rich fungal community that interacts with the immune system through the innate immune receptor Dectin-1. Mice lacking Dectin-1 exhibited increased susceptibility to chemically induced colitis, which was the result of altered responses to indigenous fungi. In humans, we identified a polymorphism in the gene for Dectin-1 (CLEC7A) that is strongly linked to a severe form of ulcerative colitis. Together, our findings reveal a eukaryotic fungal community in the gut (the “mycobiome”) that coexists with bacteria and substantially expands the repertoire of organisms interacting with the intestinal immune system to influence health and disease."

"Lessons from the inflammasome: a molecular sentry linking Candidaand Crohn's disease" in Trends in Immunology (2010)
"Candida albicans is a diploid fungus that colonizes the gastrointestinal tract asymptomatically in a large proportion of the human population, but can cause life-threatening conditions in immunocompromised patients. Recent immunological investigations have revealed the Nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) to be a cytosolic surveillance mechanism against germinating Candida. These observations point to the idea of a molecular link between Candida and a spectrum of auto-inflammatory diseases. When excessive activation of NLRP3 occurs, it can confer resistance against disseminating Candida infection but might also cause NLRP3-associated periodic syndromes. Alternatively, we propose a pathophysiological model whereby a defective NLRP3-coupled inflammasome can result in enhanced mucosal colonization of granuloma-provoking microorganisms, including C. albicans, precipitating the formation of Crohn's disease-associated inflammatory lesions."

"Fungi and inflammatory bowel diseases: Alterations of composition and diversity" in Scand J Gasterenterol (2008)
"Diverse fungal species are part of the normal enteric microbiota, but diversity is increased and composition of the fungal communities varies in IBD. Further work is needed to investigate whether the alteration of the fungal flora in IBD is secondary to an imbalanced bacterial microbiota or an independent etiologic factor."