Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends and Prospective Directions of Lung Microbiome

The lung microbiome has emerged as a pivotal area of research in human health. Despite the increasing number of publications, there is a lack of research that comprehensively and objectively presents the current status of lung microbiome-related studies. Thus, this study aims to address this gap by examining over two decades of publications through bibliometric analysis. The original bibliographic data of this study were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection, focusing on publications from 2003 to 2023. The analysis included the data extraction and examination of authors, affiliations, countries, institutions, abstracts, keywords, references, publication dates, journals, citations, H-indexes, and journal impact factors. A total of 845 publications were identified, showing an increasing trend in both publications and citations over the years, particularly in the last decade. The analysis highlighted the most productive authors, institutions, and countries/regions, and identified potential partners for interested researchers. Co-citation analysis revealed that lung microbiome- and infectious/pulmonary disease-related studies are at the forefront of the field. The hotspots and frontiers of the lung microbiome field have progressed from basic composition to exploring specific mechanisms and the clinical value of diseases. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the current research status and trends in the field of the lung microbiome over the past two decades and highlights the areas that need more attention and research efforts. It offers valuable insights for researchers and institutions and identifies key hotspots and frontiers, which can serve as references for related researchers and future research.