Malassezia: The Forbidden Kingdom Opens

Malassezia yeast exist on all humans and have long been associated with healthy and diseased skin. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Sparber et al. (2019) Sparber F. De Gregorio C. Steckholzer S. Ferreira F.M. Dolowschiak T. Ruchti F. Kirchner F. Mertens S. Prinz I. Joller N. et al. The IL-23 / IL-17 axis conveys a dual response to the skin commensal yeast Malassezia by providing immunosurveillance and exacerbating skin inflammation. Cell Host Microbe. 2019; 25 ( this issue) : 389-403 Google Scholar and Limon et al. (2019) Limon J.J. Tang J. Li D. Wolf A.J. Michelsen K.S. Brown J. Braun J. Targan S.R. Underhill D. Malassezia is associated with Crohn’s disease and exacerbates colitis in mouse models. Cell Host Microbe. 2019; 25 ( this issue) : 377-388 Google Scholar present murine models for Malassezia/host interaction and describe a role for Malassezia in inflammatory skin and gut disease