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Published on: December 10, 2014
A comparison of sampling methods for examining the laryngeal microbiome
Alissa S Hanshew1,2, Marie E Jetté1,3, Stephanie Tadayon1
1Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.
Plos One
|April 1, 2017
Summary
Swabbing vocal fold tissues effectively captures microbial community data, similar to biopsies. Sampling false vocal folds can also serve as a proxy for true vocal fold microbial analysis.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Otolaryngology
- Medical sampling techniques
Background:
- Microbial community shifts are linked to various diseases.
- Noninvasive swabbing is a common sampling method, but its efficacy is debated.
- Vocal fold microbial sampling is challenging due to potential tissue damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare microbial communities obtained via swabbing versus biopsy in true vocal folds.
- To evaluate if false vocal fold swabbing can act as a proxy for true vocal fold sampling.
- To validate less invasive methods for studying vocal fold microbiome and disease.
Main Methods:
- Collected mucosal samples (swabbed and biopsied) from true and false vocal folds of six pigs.
- Utilized 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene's V3-V5 region.
- Analyzed microbial diversity using alpha and beta measures.
Main Results:
- Alpha and beta diversity measures showed significant similarity between swabbed and biopsied samples.
- Microbial communities in true and false vocal folds did not differ considerably.
- Swab samples adequately represent the vocal fold microbial community.
Conclusions:
- Swabbing is a sufficient method for assessing vocal fold microbial communities.
- False vocal fold swabbing can be a reliable proxy for true vocal fold sampling.
- These findings support less traumatic methods for vocal fold microbiome research, potentially aiding in understanding vocal fold and respiratory tract diseases.
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