Enrichment of Lung Microbiome with Supraglottic Taxa is Associated with Increased Pulmonary Inflammation

Overview

Journal Microbiome

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Genetics
Microbiology

Date 2014 Jan 24

PMID 24450871

Citations 247

Authors

Leopoldo N Segal

Alexander V Alekseyenko

Jose C Clemente

Rohan Kulkarni

Benjamin Wu

Zhan Gao

Hao Chen

Kenneth I Berger

Roberta M Goldring

William N Rom

Martin J Blaser

Michael D Weiden

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The lung microbiome of healthy individuals frequently harbors oral organisms. Despite evidence that microaspiration is commonly associated with smoking-related lung diseases, the effects of lung microbiome enrichment with upper airway taxa on inflammation has not been studied. We hypothesize that the presence of oral microorganisms in the lung microbiome is associated with enhanced pulmonary inflammation. To test this, we sampled bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from the lower airways of 29 asymptomatic subjects (nine never-smokers, 14 former-smokers, and six current-smokers). We quantified, amplified, and sequenced 16S rRNA genes from BAL samples by qPCR and 454 sequencing. Pulmonary inflammation was assessed by exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), BAL lymphocytes, and neutrophils.

Results: BAL had lower total 16S than supraglottic samples and higher than saline background. Bacterial communities in the lower airway clustered in two distinct groups that we designated as pneumotypes. The rRNA gene concentration and microbial community of the first pneumotype was similar to that of the saline background. The second pneumotype had higher rRNA gene concentration and higher relative abundance of supraglottic-characteristic taxa (SCT), such as Veillonella and Prevotella, and we called it pneumotypeSCT. Smoking had no effect on pneumotype allocation, α, or β diversity. PneumotypeSCT was associated with higher BAL lymphocyte-count (P= 0.007), BAL neutrophil-count (P= 0.034), and eNO (P= 0.022).

Conclusion: A pneumotype with high relative abundance of supraglottic-characteristic taxa is associated with enhanced subclinical lung inflammation.

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