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Airway microbiome in adult survivors of extremely preterm birth: the EPICure study

Sylvia A D Rofael1,2, Timothy D McHugh1, Rachael Troughton1

  • 1Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection and Immunity, UCL, London, UK.

The European Respiratory Journal
|November 23, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Extremely preterm birth alters the airway microbiome in young adults, reducing bacterial diversity and lowering Prevotella abundance, regardless of bronchopulmonary dysplasia status. This dysbiosis impacts long-term respiratory health.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Neonatology
  • Pulmonology

Background:

  • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a significant complication of preterm birth, leading to chronic respiratory issues.
  • Longitudinal studies are crucial for understanding the long-term health consequences of extreme preterm birth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the airway microbiome in young adults born extremely preterm (EP) with and without neonatal BPD.
  • To compare the airway microbiome of EP individuals to term-born controls.

Main Methods:

  • Induced sputum collected from 92 young adults (19 years old).
  • Quantitative PCR used for respiratory pathogen detection.
  • 16S rRNA gene sequencing performed on 74 samples.

Main Results:

  • The preterm group with BPD exhibited the least diverse bacterial communities.
  • Significantly lower relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, specifically Prevotella melaninogenica, was observed in preterm individuals.
  • Prevotella abundance correlated with lung function (FEV1 z-score).

Conclusions:

  • Extremely preterm birth is associated with airway microbiome dysbiosis in young adulthood, irrespective of neonatal BPD.
  • This dysbiosis is characterized by a reduced abundance of Bacteroidetes, particularly Prevotella.
  • The findings highlight potential microbial targets for improving long-term respiratory outcomes in preterm infants.

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