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.

@entity228 therapy and airflow obstruction influence the bronchial microbiome, which is distinct from that of bronchoalveolar lavage in XXXX 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']
@entity748 :: (MESH:D013224,Disease) :: ['asthmatic']
