Household air pollution and the lung microbiome of healthy adults in Malawi: a cross-sectional study

BMC Microbiology

Research Article

Huaiying Lin¹  Qunfeng Dong¹  Xiang Gao¹  Stephen B. Gordon²  Jamie Rylance²  Homer L. Twigg³  Richard B. Day³  Evelyn Toh⁴  David E. Nelson⁴  Anstead Kankwatira⁵  Robert S Heyderman⁵  George M. Weinstock⁶  Erica Sodergren⁶ 

[1] Center for Biomedical Informatics, Department of Public Health Sciences, Loyola University Chicago, 60153, Maywood, IL, USA;Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, L3 5QA, Liverpool, UK;Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi;Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA;Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA;Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi;The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, 06032, Farmington, Connecticut, USA;

关键词: Respiratory microbiome;    Household air pollution;    Alveolar macrophage;    Petrobacter;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12866-016-0803-7

 received in 2016-03-01, accepted in 2016-08-04,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDomestic combustion of biomass fuels, such as wood, charcoal, crop residue and dung causes Household Air Pollution (HAP). These inhaled particulates affect more than half of the world’s population, causing respiratory problems such as infection and inflammatory lung disease. We examined whether the presence of black carbon in alveolar macrophages was associated with alterations in the lung microbiome in a Malawi population.MethodsBronchoalveolar lavage samples from 44 healthy adults were sequenced using 16S rDNA amplification to assess microbial diversity, richness and relative taxa abundance. Individuals were classified as high or low particulate exposure as determined by questionnaire and the percentage of black carbon within their alveolar macrophages.ResultsSubjects in the low and high particulate groups did not differ in terms of source of fuels used for cooking or lighting. There was no difference in alpha or beta diversity by particulate group. Neisseria and Streptococcus were significantly more abundant in samples from high particulate exposed individuals, and Tropheryma was found less abundant. Petrobacter abundance was higher in people using biomass fuel for household cooking and lighting, compared with exclusive use of electricity.ConclusionsHealthy adults in Malawi exposed to higher levels of particulates have higher abundances of potentially pathogenic bacteria (Streptococcus, Neisseria) within their lung microbiome. Domestic biomass fuel use was associated with an uncommon environmental bacterium (Petrobacter) associated with oil-rich niches.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2016