Distinct associations of sputum and oral microbiota with atopic, immunologic, and clinical features in mild asthma

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's AsthmaNet

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

57 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Whether microbiome characteristics of induced sputum or oral samples demonstrate unique relationships to features of atopy or mild asthma in adults is unknown. Objective: We sought to determine sputum and oral microbiota relationships to clinical or immunologic features in mild atopic asthma and the impact on the microbiota of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment administered to ICS-naive subjects with asthma. Methods: Bacterial microbiota profiles were analyzed in induced sputum and oral wash samples from 32 subjects with mild atopic asthma before and after inhaled fluticasone treatment, 18 atopic subjects without asthma, and 16 nonatopic healthy subjects in a multicenter study (NCT01537133). Associations with clinical and immunologic features were examined, including markers of atopy, type 2 inflammation, immune cell populations, and cytokines. Results: Sputum bacterial burden inversely associated with bronchial expression of type 2 (T2)-related genes. Differences in specific sputum microbiota also associated with T2-low asthma phenotype, a subgroup of whom displayed elevations in lung inflammatory mediators and reduced sputum bacterial diversity. Differences in specific oral microbiota were more reflective of atopic status. After ICS treatment of patients with asthma, the compositional structure of sputum microbiota showed greater deviation from baseline in ICS nonresponders than in ICS responders. Conclusions: Novel associations of sputum and oral microbiota to immunologic features were observed in this cohort of subjects with or without ICS-naive mild asthma. These findings confirm and extend our previous report of reduced bronchial bacterial burden and compositional complexity in subjects with T2-high asthma, with additional identification of a T2-low subgroup with a distinct microbiota-immunologic relationship.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1016-1026
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Volume146
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2020

Keywords

  • Microbiome
  • allergic
  • asthma
  • corticosteroids
  • cytokines
  • oral
  • sputum
  • type 2 inflammation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Distinct associations of sputum and oral microbiota with atopic, immunologic, and clinical features in mild asthma'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this