Cited by 320Cystic Fibrosis Research AdvancesBacterial biofilms and quorum sensingGut microbiota and health

Lung microbiota and bacterial abundance in patients with bronchiectasis when clinically stable and during exacerbation

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Tunney, Michael M., Einarsson, Gisli G., Wei, Lan, Drain, Maire, Klem, Erich R., Cardwell, Chris, Ennis, Madeleine, Boucher, Richard C. +2 more·2013·American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Abstract

RATIONALE: Characterization of bacterial populations in infectious respiratory diseases will provide improved understanding of the relationship between the lung microbiota, disease pathogenesis, and treatment outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To comprehensively define lung microbiota composition during stable disease and exacerbation in patients with bronchiectasis. METHODS: Sputum was collected from patients when clinically stable and before and after completion of antibiotic treatment of exacerbations. Bacterial abundance and community composition were analyzed using anaerobic culture and 16S rDNA pyrosequencing. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In clinically stable patients, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were detected in 40 of 40 (100%) and 33 of 40 (83%) sputum samples, respectively. The dominant organisms cultured were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 10 patients), Haemophilus influenzae (n = 12), Prevotella (n = 18), and Veillonella (n = 13). Pyrosequencing generated more than 150,000 sequences, representing 113 distinct microbial taxa; the majority of observed community richness resulted from taxa present in low abundance with similar patterns of phyla distribution in clinically stable patients and patients at the onset of exacerbation. After treatment of exacerbation, there was no change in total (P = 0.925), aerobic (P = 0.917), or anaerobic (P = 0.683) load and only a limited shift in community composition. Agreement for detection of bacteria by culture and pyrosequencing was good for aerobic bacteria such as P. aeruginosa (κ = 0.84) but poorer for other genera including anaerobes. Lack of agreement was largely due to bacteria being detected by pyrosequencing but not by culture. CONCLUSIONS: A complex microbiota is present in the lungs of patients with bronchiectasis and remains stable through treatment of exacerbations, suggesting that changes in microbiota composition do not account for exacerbations.

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  • Culture-independent studies comparing bacterial communities at baseline and during exacerbations in the airways of patients with COPD, cystic fibrosis, or bronchiectasis consistently report no increase in bacterial burden and no decrease in community diversity during exacerbations.

    “With remarkable consistency, all studies report no increase in bacterial burden and no decrease in community diversity during exacerbations.”

    From The microbiome and critical illness (2016) · cites this paper as [139]

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  1. [17]Einarsson GG, Klem E, Fodor AA, Wei L, Drain M, Wolfgang MC, Elborn JS, Tunney MM. Microbial community composition in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis and non-CF bronchiectasis [abstract] Thorax. 2011;66:A48. doi: 10.1136/thx.2010.137281. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] · DOI

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Authors
Tunney, M. M., Einarsson, G. G., Wei, L., Drain, M., Klem, E. R., Cardwell, C., Ennis, M., Boucher, R. C., Wolfgang, M. C., & Elborn, J. S.
Affiliations
  • Cystic Fibrosis and Airways Microbiology Research Group
  • Centre for Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
  • Queen's University Belfast (GB)
Corresponding author
Tunney, Michael M.
Venue
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Published
2013-05
Volume
187
Issue
10
Pages
1118-1126
ISSN
  • 1073-449X (ISSN-L)
  • 1535-4970
OpenAlex
W2116345416
Cited by
316
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 35 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 6
FWCI
25.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Public Health Agency (STL/3713/07, CDV/3650/07)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL092964, HL092964)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Cystic Fibrosis Research Advances
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
Keywords
bronchiectasis, lung microbiome, bacterial abundance, exacerbations, sputum microbiome, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus influenzae, Prevotella, Veillonella, anaerobic bacteria, bacterial community composition, antibiotic therapy
MeSH terms
Aged, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Bronchiectasis, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Lung, Male, Sputum, Cohort Studies, Metagenome

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