Airway Microbiome in human disease

The respiratory microbiota is less well studied compared microorganisms in other human microbiomes, this is partly due to accessibility of samples and partly due to the mistaken belief that the healthy lungs are a sterile environment. This myth has been conclusively debunked over the last decade with the increased availability and decrease in costs associated with a range of culture independent techniques. It is now clear that the respiratory tract contains a diverse and dynamic microbial community in both health and disease. Understanding the nature of the microbiota within the healthy respiratory tract has allowed investigations into how disease and other community perturbations, such as smoking or antibiotics, effect microbial communities. Large amounts of variation are observed in lung microbial communities between individuals, however research has revealed alterations in bacterial communities associated with specific disease. These alterations include, changes in bacterial diversity, community composition and dominance of specific genus. This talk will introduce and discuss the current understanding of the human respiratory microbiome with reference to both healthy and diseased populations. I will present methodologies and experimental design of microbiome studies using both published and newly generated data, alongside the results of new research on children with persistent bacterial bronchitis and adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.