Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 28, 2025

The Utilization of Oropharyngeal Intratracheal PAMP Administration and Bronchoalveolar Lavage to Evaluate the Host Immune Response in Mice
Published on: April 2, 2014
Bacterial load and related innate immune response in the bronchi of rapid decliners with chronic obstructive
Silvestro Ennio D'Anna1, Francesca Dossena2, Isabella Gnemmi2
1Divisione di Pneumologia, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, IRCCS, Telese, BN, Italy.
Background:
Characterization of COPD patients with rapid lung functional decline is of interest for prognostic and therapeutic reasons. We recently reported an impaired humoral immune response in rapid decliners.
Objective:
To determine the microbiota associated to markers of innate immune host response in COPD patients with rapid lung functional decline.
Methods:
In COPD patients monitored for at least 3 years (mean ± SD: 5.8 ± 3 years) for lung functional decline, the microbiota and related markers of immune response was measured in bronchial biopsies of patients with different lung functional decline (rate of FEV1% lung functional decline: no decline FEV1%, ≤20 ml/year n = 21, slow decline FEV1%, >20 ≤ 70 ml/year, n = 14 and rapid decline FEV1%, >70 ml/year, n = 15) using qPCR for microbiota and immunohistochemistry for cell-receptors and inflammatory markers.
Main Results:
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pneumoniae were increased in rapid decliners vs slow decliners, S. pneumoniae was also increased compared to non decliners. In all patients, S. pneumoniae (copies/ml) positively correlated with pack-years consumption, lung function decline, TLR4, NOD1, NOD2 scored in bronchial epithelium and NOD1/mm2 in lamina propria.
Conclusion:
These data show an imbalance of microbiota components in rapid decliners which is associated to the expression of the related cell-receptors in all COPD patients. These findings may help in the prognostic stratification and treatment of patients.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-II: Pathophysiology
Chronic Inflammation
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-I: Introduction
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Smoking is a primary risk factor for COPD, with over 80% of patients having a history of it. Patients typically experience progressive dyspnea or labored breathing, frequent coughing, and recurrent pulmonary infections. Many eventually succumb to respiratory failure, characterized by...
COPD: Management Using Bronchodilators and Corticosteroids
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-III: Symptoms and Complications.
Symptoms of COPD can be classified as primary or systemic. Primary symptoms relate to reduced airflow, while systemic or extrapulmonary symptoms relate to COPD's broader impact on the body.
Primary Symptoms of COPD:
COPD: Pathogenesis and Clinical Features
The primary cause for the onset of COPD is cigarette smoking and exposure to air pollution. These hazardous factors initiate a chain reaction within the lungs, resulting in chronic inflammation, damage to the airways, and a...

