Symptom-related sputum microbiota in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND: The role of airway microbiota in COPD is highly debated. Symptomology assessment is vital for the management of clinically stable COPD patients; however, the link between symp toms and the airway microbiome is currently unknown. PURPOSE: The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship among stable COPD patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA using induced sputum samples in a Han Chinese cohort that included 40 clinically stable COPD patients and 19 healthy controls. RESULTS: Alterations in community composition and core bacte rial taxa (Neisseria subflava, etc.) were observed in patients with severe symptoms compared with controls. The co-occurrence network indicated that the key microbiota enriched in COPD patients showed higher expression in patients with severe symptoms. The association pattern of symptoms with the sputum microbiome was obviously different from that of lung function in COPD patients. CONCLUSION: These findings broaden our insights into the relationship between the sputum microbiota and the symptom severity in COPD patients, emphasizing the role of symptoms in the airway microbiome, independent of lung function.