title: Airway dysbiosis: Haemophilus influenzae and Tropheryma in poorly controlled asthma.
abstract: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways where bacteria may act as protagonists of chronic inflammation. Little is known about the relation of airway inflammation to the presence of specific bacterial taxa. We sought to describe the sputum microbiome in adults with poorly controlled asthma.DNA was extracted from induced sputum and microbial communities were profiled using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing. Bacterial species were characterised, and the relationship between microbial populations, asthma inflammatory subtypes and other covariates was explored. Real-time PCR was used to identify Tropheryma whipplei and Haemophilus influenzae in sputum.Adults with neutrophilic asthma had reduced bacterial diversity and species richness. Tropheryma was identified and confirmed with real-time PCR in 12 (40%) participants. Haemophilus occurred most often in a group of younger atopic males with an increased proportion of neutrophils. PCR confirmed the presence of H. influenzae in 35 (76%) participants with poorly controlled asthma.There are phenotype-specific alterations to the airway microbiome in asthma. Reduced bacterial diversity combined with a high prevalence of H. influenzae was observed in neutrophilic asthma, whereas eosinophilic asthma had abundant T. whipplei.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Disease, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia jodie.simpson@newcastle.edu.au.
authors.forename: Jodie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.affiliation: Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.affiliation: Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Disease, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.
authors.forename: Katherine J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Baines
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia Dept of Thoracic Medicine, The Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside, Australia.
authors.forename: Ian A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia Dept of Respiratory Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Australia.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Upham
authors.affiliation: Dept of Thoracic Medicine, Royal Adelaide Hospital and Lung Research Laboratory, Hanson Institute, Adelaide, Australia School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.affiliation: Dept of Thoracic Medicine, Royal Adelaide Hospital and Lung Research Laboratory, Hanson Institute, Adelaide, Australia School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hodge
authors.affiliation: Dept of Pulmonary Physiology and Sleep Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, Australia School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia.
authors.forename: Alan L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hugenholtz
authors.affiliation: Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Willner
authors.affiliation: Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Disease, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Glebe, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Gibson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000382:microbiology*; D064806:Dysbiosis; D005260:Female; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D064307:Microbiota; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D011657:Pulmonary Eosinophilia / Q000382:microbiology*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000382:microbiology; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology*; D054851:Tropheryma / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S