Lung microbiota

The lung microbiota is the pulmonary microbial community consisting of a complex variety of microorganisms found in the lower respiratory tract particularly on the mucous layer and the epithelial surfaces. These microorganisms include bacteria, fungi, viruses and bacteriophages. The bacterial part of the microbiota has been more closely studied. It consists of a core of nine genera: Prevotella, Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Fusobacterium, Megasphaera, Veillonella, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus.[1][2][3] They are aerobes as well as anaerobes and aerotolerant bacteria. The microbial communities are highly variable in particular individuals and compose of about 140 distinct families. The bronchial tree for instance contains a mean of 2000 bacterial genomes per cm2 surface. The harmful or potentially harmful bacteria are also detected routinely in respiratory specimens. The most significant are Moraxella catarrhalis, Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. They are known to cause respiratory disorders under particular conditions namely if the human immune system is impaired. The mechanism by which they persist in the lower airways in healthy individuals is unknown.

The fungal genera that are commonly found make up the lung mycobiome, in the microbiota of the lung, and include Candida, Malassezia, Neosartorya, Saccharomyces, and Aspergillus, among others.[4][5]

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  2. ^ Hilty, Markus; Burke, Conor; Pedro, Helder; Cardenas, Paul; Bush, Andy; Bossley, Cara; Davies, Jane; Ervine, Aaron; et al. (2010). Neyrolles, Olivier (ed.). "Disordered Microbial Communities in Asthmatic Airways". PLOS ONE. 5 (1): e8578. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...5.8578H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008578. PMC 2798952. PMID 20052417.
  3. ^ Beck, James M.; Young, Vincent B.; Huffnagle, Gary B. (1 February 2012). "The microbiome of the lung". Translational Research. 160 (4): 258–66. doi:10.1016/j.trsl.2012.02.005. PMC 3440512. PMID 22683412.
  4. ^ Cui L, Morris A, Ghedin E (July 2013). "The human mycobiome in health and disease". Genome Med. 5 (7): 63. doi:10.1186/gm467. PMC 3978422. PMID 23899327. Figure 2: Distribution of fungal genera in different body sites {{cite journal}}: External link in |quote= (help)
  5. ^ Richardson, M; Bowyer, P; Sabino, R (1 April 2019). "The human lung and Aspergillus: You are what you breathe in?". Medical Mycology. 57 (Supplement_2): S145–S154. doi:10.1093/mmy/myy149. PMC 6394755. PMID 30816978.