Abstract:
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INTRODUCTION: The respiratory airways harbor a complex
succession of ecological niches with distinct but related
bacterial communities. Particular challenges of respiratory
microbiome research have led to limited scientific output
compared to other human microbiomes. Areas covered: In this
review, we summarize the current state of knowledge of the
bacterial respiratory microbiome, with a particular focus on
associations between the respiratory microbiome and lower
respiratory tract conditions. Expert commentary: There is
growing evidence that the respiratory microbiome is associated
with lower respiratory infectious diseases and related
conditions. Most respiratory microbiome reports are
metataxonomic cross-sectional or case-control studies with
relatively small sample sizes. Large, prospective projects with
metatranscriptomics or metabolomics approach are needed to
unravel the effect of the respiratory microbiome on
health-related conditions. Moreover, standardization in
sampling, library preparation, sequencing techniques and data
analysis should be encouraged. |