Published in:
Open Access
01-12-2017 | Letter to the Editor
Changes in the respiratory microbiome during acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors:
Philip L. Molyneaux, Michael J Cox, Athol U. Wells, Ho Cheol Kim, Wonjun Ji, William O. C. Cookson, Miriam F. Moffatt, Dong Soon Kim, Toby M. Maher
Published in:
Respiratory Research
|
Issue 1/2017
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Abstract
Acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF) have been defined as events of clinically significant respiratory deterioration with an unidentifiable cause. They carry a significant mortality and morbidity and while their exact pathogenesis remains unclear, the possibility remains that hidden infection may play a role. The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether changes in the respiratory microbiota occur during an AE-IPF. Bacterial DNA was extracted from bronchoalveolar lavage from patients with stable IPF and those experiencing an AE-IPF. A hyper-variable region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (16S rRNA) was amplified, quantified and pyrosequenced. Culture independent techniques demonstrate AE-IPF is associated with an increased BAL bacterial burden compared to stable disease and highlight shifts in the composition of the respiratory microbiota during an AE-IPF.