Springer Eukaryome Impact on Human Intestine Homeostasis and Mucosal Immunology: Overview of the First Eukaryome Congress at Institut Pasteur. Paris, October 16–18, 2019.

Multiple demographic or economic parameters contribute to the origin of emerging infections, for example: poverty, urbanization, climate change, conflicts and population migrations. All these factors are a challenge to assess the impact (present and future) of parasitic diseases on public health. The intestine is a major target of these infections; it is a nutrient-rich environment harbouring a complex and dynamic population of 100 trillion microbes: the microbiome. Most researches on the microbiome focus on bacteria, which share the gut ecosystem with a population of uni- and multi cellular eukaryotic organisms that may prey on them.  Our interest focuses on the families of  eukaryotic microbes inhabiting the intestine, called “intestinal eukaryome”, that include fungi, protists and helminths. Knowledge on the reciprocal influence between the microbiome and the eukaryome, and on their combined impact on homeostasis and intestinal diseases is scanty and can be considered as an important emerging field. Furthermore, the factors that differentiate pathogenic eukaryotes from commensals are still unknown. This book presents an overview of the science presented and discussed in the First Eukaryome Congress held from October 16th to 18th, 2019 at the Pasteur Institute in Paris . This book covers the following topics: Phylogenetic, prevalence, and diversity of intestinal eukaryotic microbes; and their (still enigmatic) historical evolution and potential contributions to mucosal immune homeostasis. Integrative biology to study the molecular cell biology of parasite-host interactions and the multiple parameters underlining the infectious process. The exploitation of tissue engineering and microfluidics to establish three-dimensional (3D) systems that help to understand homeostasis and pathological processes in the human intestine. From the Back Cover The intestine is home to diverse bacterial communities forming the microbiome that influences host nutrition, immune functions and health. DNA-based methods have been instrumental to gain insight into the microbial eukaryotic diversity of the human gut. For instance, the microbiome share the intestinal ecosystem with a population of uni- and multi-cellular eukaryotic organisms. These eukaryotic organisms are very common and often very abundant in individuals with intestinal healthy conditions as well as those with intestinal diseases. The impact of the relationship between bacterial and eukaryotic organisms within the intestinal ecosystem on homeostasis and intestinal diseases is limited and can be considered an important emerging field of research. In addition, the factors that differentiate pathogenic eukaryotes from commensals are still unknown. Our interest focuses on the families of eukaryotic microbes inhabiting the intestine, called “intestinal eukaryome”, that include fungi, protists and helminths. All these organisms and their interplay with bacteria and the human immune system are a challenge to assess the impact (present and future) of intestinal infectious diseases on public health. This book presents an overview of the science presented and discussed in the First Eukaryome Congress, held from October 16th to 18th, 2019 at Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. This contributed volume is of special interest for PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, researchers and clinicians interested in the effect of the eukaryotic microbiome on human health. About the Author Dr. Nancy Guillen received her degree in Biology in 1972 at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas and her Doctorat d'Etat in Natural Sciences with speciality in Microbiology at the University of Paris Sud-Orsay (France) in 1979. She obtained her habilitation diploma at the same University in 1986 and got a permanent position as senior researcher at the National Centre for Research (CNRS-France) in 1982, she was a visiting fellow at Rockefeller University (