Malassezia restricta yeasts found in oily skin and scalp follicles are linked to several skin conditions. These microscopic fungi also often end up in the gut. In particular M. restricta was elevated in Crohn's patients carrying a genetic variation known as the IBD CARD9 risk allele according to the study published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe. Crohn's disease is a type of IBD that causes inflammation of the digestive tract leading to abdominal pain diarrohea fatigue weight loss and malnutrition. We were surprised to find that Malassezia restrica was more common on intestinal tissue surfaces in Crohn's disease
