BACKGROUND: The lung has a diverse microbiome that is modest in biomass. This microbiome differs in @entity748 @entity1 compared with control subjects, but the effects of clinical characteristics on the microbial community composition and structure are not clear. OBJECTIVES: We examined whether the composition and structure of the lower airway microbiome correlated with clinical characteristics of chronic persistent @entity565 , including airflow obstruction, use of corticosteroid medications, and presence of airway @entity1712 . METHODS: DNA was extracted from endobronchial brushings and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid collected from 39 @entity748 @entity1 and 19 control subjects, along with negative control samples. 16S rRNA V4 amplicon sequencing was used to compare the relative abundance of bacterial genera with clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Differential feature selection analysis revealed significant differences in microbial diversity between brush and lavage samples from @entity748 @entity1 and control subjects. Lactobacillus, Pseudomonas, and Rickettsia species were significantly enriched in samples from @entity748 @entity1 , whereas Prevotella, Streptococcus, and Veillonella species were enriched in brush samples from control subjects. Generalized linear models on brush samples demonstrated oral @entity228 use as an important factor affecting the relative abundance of the taxa that were significantly enriched in @entity748 @entity1 . In addition, bacterial a-diversity in brush samples from @entity748 @entity1 was correlated with FEV1 and the proportion of lavage eosinophils. CONCLUSION: The diversity and composition of the bronchial airway microbiome of @entity748 @entity1 is distinct from that of nonasthmatic control subjects and influenced by worsening airflow obstruction and corticosteroid use.

XXXX therapy and airflow obstruction influence the bronchial microbiome, which is distinct from that of bronchoalveolar lavage in @entity748 airways.

@entity748 :: ('MESH:D013224', 'Disease') :: ['asthmatic'] @entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity1712 :: ('MESH:D004802', 'Disease') :: ['eosinophilia'] @entity565 :: ('MESH:D001249', 'Disease') :: ['asthma'] @entity228 :: ('CHEBI:50858', 'Chemical') :: ['corticosteroid']
@entity228 :: (CHEBI:50858,Chemical) :: ['Corticosteroid']
