Pneumologie 2015; 69 - A13
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1556605

Comparison of airways' microbiota at different sampling sites in patients with cystic fibrosis

S Boutin 1, 2, SY Graeber 2, 3, 4, M Stahl 2, 3, 4, S Dittrich 2, 4, 5, MA Mall 2, 3, 4, A Dalpke 1, 2
  • 1Dept. of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Univ. Heidelberg, Germany
  • 2Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL)
  • 3Div. of Pediatric Pulmonology & Allergology and Cystic Fibrosis Center, Dept. of Pediatrics, Univ. Heidelberg, Germany
  • 4Dept. of Translational Pulmonology, Univ. Heidelberg, Germany
  • 5Dept. of Pneumology and Critical Care Medicine, Thoraxklinik at the University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany

Introduction:

Although lung has long been considered sterile, evidence from previous studies suggests the existence of a microbiome in healthy lungs. Chronic lung disease in CF patients was demonstrated to be correlated to changes in that microbiota. Results suggest that alteration of the microbiota may be important in pathophysiology of CF. However, little is known about the spatial structure of the microbiota along the airways and its influence on CF lung disease.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship of microbiota between three sampling sites of the upper (nose (n = 39), throat swabs (n = 71)) and lower (sputum (n = 75)) airways from 24 patients (6 – 22 y) with CF. Microbiota was screened by 16S amplicon sequencing with Illumina MIseq.

Results:

The microbiota structure of the different airway sites and the α-diversity showed a clear divergence between nasal samples and the two other sampling sites. This divergence relied on 109 OTUs which discriminate strongly the nasal microbiota from the throat and sputum. The sputum and throat microbiota were closely related and non-divergent in patients in the absence of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

Discussion:

Our results indicate similarity between microbiota structure in throat and sputum, but striking differences with the nose in children with CF. These results suggest that throat is an adequate sampling site for microbiota studies in pediatric and young cystic fibrosis patients without chronic infection by P. aeruginosa. A trend of higher diversity in children with CF than what has been reported for adults with chronic lung disease was observed. A longitudinal study with correlation of microbiota with clinical outcomes of lung disease will be required for further elucidation of the role of the microbiota and interaction of different airway niches in pathogenesis of early CF lung disease.

Supported by a grant from Gilead.

*Presenting author