Lung Microbiome Analysis in Steroid-Naïve Asthma Patients by Using Whole Sputum

• Published in: Tuberculosis and respiratory diseases pp. 165 - 178
• Main Authors: 정재우, 최재철, 신종욱, 김재열, 박인원, 최병휘, 박흥우, 조상헌, 김기정, 강혜련
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 대한결핵및호흡기학회 01.07.2016
• Subjects: 내과학
• ISSN: 1738-3536; 2005-6184
• DOI: 10.4046/trd.2016.79.3.165

Background: Although recent metagenomic approaches have characterized the distinguished microbial compositions in airways of asthmatics, these results did not reach a consensus due to the small sample size, non-standardization of specimens and medication status. We conducted a metagenomics approach by using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of the induced whole sputum representing both the cellular and fluid phases in a relative large number of steroid naïve asthmatics. Methods: Induced whole sputum samples obtained from 36 healthy subjects and 89 steroid-naïve asthma patients were analyzed through T-RFLP analysis. Results: In contrast to previous reports about microbiota in the asthmatic airways, the diversity of microbial composition was not significantly different between the controls and asthma patients (p=0.937). In an analysis of similarities, the global R-value showed a statistically significant difference but a very low separation (0.148, p=0.002). The dissimilarity in the bacterial communities between groups was 28.74%, and operational taxonomic units (OTUs) contributing to this difference were as follows: OTU 789 ( Lachnospiraceae ), 517 ( Comamonadaceae, Acetobacteraceae , and Chloroplast ), 633 ( Prevotella ), 645 ( Actinobacteria and Propionibacterium acnes ), 607 ( Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus otakiensis, Lactobacillus sunkii , and Rhodobacteraceae ), and 661 ( Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas , and Leptotrichiaceae ), and they were significantly more prevalent in the sputum of asthma patients than in the sputum of the controls. Conclusion: Before starting anti-asthmatic treatment, the microbiota in the whole sputum of patients with asthma showed a marginal difference from the microbiota in the whole sputum of the controls. KCI Citation Count: 0