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. 2019 May 21;8(2):70. doi: 10.3390/pathogens8020070

Table 1.

Overview of modes of interplay and outcome of specific fungal-bacterial interactions. Interplay of fungi and bacteria occurs via multiple mechanisms and results in different outcomes for the host. Antagonistic relationships often limit microbial virulence and synergistic relationships potentiate pathogenesis. Listed below are combinations of fungi and bacteria that were investigated experimentally in vitro and in vivo for their effect on the host.

Mechanism Fungi Bacteria Relationship Study Setting References
Physical
Interaction 		Aspergillus spp. K. pneumoniae antagonism In vitro co-culture
→ prevention of spore germination and filamentation		 [55]
A. fumigatus P. aeruginosa antagonism In vitro co-culture
→ decreased filamentation, biofilm formation, and conidia biomass		 [56]
C. albicans A. baumannii antagonism In vitro co-culture
→ induced fungal apoptosis		 [57]
F. nucleatum antagonism In vitro co-culture
→ inhibited growth and filamentation		 [58]
Group B Streptococcus synergism In vitro: vaginal epithelial cells
→ enhanced fungal and bacterial adhesion		 [59]
P. aeruginosa antagonism In vitro co-cultures
→ killing of filamentous fungus		 [60,61]
S. aureus synergism Ex vivo mouse tongue infection [62]; in vivo oral mouse co-infection [63]; in vivo oral mouse infection [64]
→ promoted bacterial invasion 		[62,63,64]
S. epidermidis non-competitive In vitro adhesion model
→ bacteria bind to fungal germtubes		 [65]
S. gordonii non-competitive In vitro co-aggregation assays
→ C. albicans adhesin binds bacterial cell wall proteins		 [66,67,68]
Chemical
Interaction and Release of Metabolic Byproducts 		A. fumigatus A. baumannii antagonism Gliotoxin treated bacterial biofilm
→ decreased bacterial biomass		 [69]
P. aeruginosa antagonism In vitro co-culture
→ inhibited fungal biofilm formation [56];
Gliotoxin treated bacterial biofilm
→ decreased bacterial biomass [69];
In vitro assay
→ inhibited fungal growth [70]		 [56,69,70]
S. aureus antagonism Gliotoxin-treated bacterial biofilm
→ decreased bacterial biomass		 [69]
C. albicans A. actinomycetemcomitans antagonism In vitro co-culture
→ AI-2 inhibits fungal biofilm formation		 [71]
C. difficile antagonism In vitro assay
→ p-cresol involved in filamentation		 [72]
E. coli antagonism In vitro biofilm assay
→ inhibited fungal biofilm formation [73];
In vitro assay
→ soluble factor kills C. albicans [74]		 [73,74]
E. faecalis antagonism In vitro biofilm model, in vivo nematode model, in vivo murine candidiasis model [75]; In vivo nematode model, in vitro biofiolm model [76]
→ inhibition of filamentation and fungal virulence 		[75,76]
Lactobacillus spp. antagonism In vitro: HeLa cells
→ reduced fungal adhesion [77];
In vitro C. albicans growth
→ stimulation of pseudohyphae and repression of growth [78];
In vitro model: vaginal epithelial cells
→ bactericidal mode against C. albicans [79];
In vitro co-culture
→ inhibition of filamentation [80]		 [77,78,79,80]
P. aeruginosa antagonism In vitro assay
→ inhibition of fungal growth [70];
In vitro co-culture
→ decreased bacterial virulence [81];
In vitro co-culture
→ reduces fungal viability [82]		 [70,81,82]
S. aureus synergism In vitro assay
→ enhanced tolerance to antimicrobial compounds		 [83]
S. gordonii synergism In vitro assay
→ enhanced filamentation		 [68]
S. mutans synergism
antagonism		 In vitro assay
→ enhanced bacterial growth [84];
In vitro co-culture
→ inhibited filamentation [85,86]		 [84]
[85,86]
S. enterica serovar Typhimurium antagonism In vivo nematode model, in vitro co-culture
→ repressed filamentation		 [87]
C. neoformans K. aerogenes synergism In vitro co-culture
→ promoted fungal melanization		 [88]
S. cerevisiae Acinetobacter spp. synergism In vitro co-culture, in vivo nematode model
→ enhanced bacterial growth and increased pathogenicity		 [89]
Influencing the Environment C. albicans B. fragilis synergism In vitro assay
→ protection of bacteria by fungal biofilm		 [90]
C. difficile synergism In vitro co-culture
→ anaerobic growth of C. difficile 		[72]
C. perfringens synergism In vitro assay
→ protection by fungal biofilm		 [90]
Competition C. albicans Lactobacillus spp. antagonism In vitro model: vaginal epithelial cells
→ reduced bacterial adherence 		[79,91,92,93]
S. mitis antagonism In vitro co-culture in a chemostat
→ competition for glucose		 [94]
S. sobrinus antagonism In vitro co-culture in a chemostat
→ competition for glucose		 [94]
Biofilm Formation C. albicans A. actinomycetemcomitans antagonism In vitro Bioflux assay
→ decreased fungal biofilm formation		 [71]
C. freundii non-competitive In vitro co-culture
→ ability to form mixed biofilms		 [95]
C. perfringens synergism In vitro assay
→ protection by fungal biofilm		 [90]
E. coli synergism In vitro assay
→ increased mixed biofilm formation		 [96]
E. faecalis synergism In vitro assay
→ increased mixed biofilm formation		 [97]
K. pneumoniae antagonism In vitro assay
→ decreased fungal biofilm formation		 [90,98]
P. aeruginosa antagonism In vitro assay
→ decreased fungal biofilm formation		 [60,99]
P. gingivalis synergism In vitro assay
→ protection by fungal biofilm		 [100]
S. aureus synergism In vitro assay
→ increased mixed biofilm formation		 [83,101,102,103]
S. epidermidis synergism In vitro co-culture
→ increased mixed biofilm formation		 [104,105]
Streptococcus spp. synergism In vitro model: oral epithelial cells [106];
In vivo oral mouse model [107];
In vitro assay, in vivo oral rat model [108,109]
→ increased mixed biofilm formation		 [106,107,108,109]
C. tropicalis E. coli synergism In vitro assay
→ increased mixed biofilm formation		 [20]
S. marcescens synergism In vitro assay
→ increased mixed biofilm formation		 [20]
T. asahii S. simulans non-competitive In vitro co-culture
→ ability to form mixed biofilms		 [95]