Temporal instability of the post-surgical maxillary sinus microbiota

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Immunology
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) involves uncertain bacterial roles and persistent inflammation despite surgical intervention.
• Understanding CRS pathogenesis is complicated by microbial variability within and between individuals.
• This study investigates long-term microbial stability in surgically treated maxillary sinuses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the long-term stability of the maxillary sinus microbiota in individuals with and without chronic rhinosinusitis.
• To identify specific bacterial taxa that remain stable over time in the sinus environment.
• To explore the relationship between microbial stability, inflammation, and clinical parameters in CRS.

Main Methods:

• Maxillary sinus swabs were collected from 35 subjects with antrostomies at two time points (mean 719 days apart).
• Subjects were categorized based on sinus inflammation assessed via nasal endoscopy.
• Microbiota was characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and taxonomic classification.

Main Results:

• Only 24.5% of microbial taxa showed long-term stability across both time points.
• Stable taxa included prevalent genera like Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium, with varying abundances.
• Specific genera (Janthinobacterium, Enterobacter, Lactobacillus, Acinetobacter) were associated with healthy sinuses, while others (Moraxella, Haemophilus) were linked to inflamed sinuses.

Conclusions:

• A small fraction of the post-surgical maxillary sinus microbiota is stable long-term within individuals.
• The concept of an individual-specific core sinus microbiota, fluctuating in abundance, is supported.
• These findings have implications for understanding bacterial involvement in chronic rhinosinusitis pathogenesis.