title: Bacterial community collapse: a meta-analysis of the sinonasal microbiota in chronic rhinosinusitis.
abstract: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common, debilitating condition characterized by long-term inflammation of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. The role of the sinonasal bacteria in CRS is unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis combining and reanalysing published bacterial 16S rRNA sequence data to explore differences in sinonasal bacterial community composition and predicted function between healthy and CRS affected subjects. The results identify the most abundant bacteria across all subjects as Staphylococcus, Propionibacterium, Corynebacterium, Streptococcus and an unclassified lineage of Actinobacteria. The meta-analysis results suggest that the bacterial community associated with CRS patients is dysbiotic and ecological networks fostering healthy communities are fragmented. Increased dispersion of bacterial communities, significantly lower bacterial diversity, and increased abundance of members of the genus Corynebacterium are associated with CRS. Increased relative abundance and diversity of other members belonging to the phylum Actinobacteria and members from the genera Propionibacterium differentiated healthy sinuses from those that were chronically inflamed. Removal of Burkholderia and Propionibacterium phylotypes from the healthy community dataset was correlated with a significant increase in network fragmentation. This meta-analysis highlights the potential importance of the genera Burkholderia and Propionibacterium as gatekeepers, whose presence may be important in maintaining a stable sinonasal bacterial community.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wagner Mackenzie
authors.affiliation: Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Waite
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoggard
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Kristi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Biswas
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D064307:Microbiota; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000382:microbiology*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S