Composition_of_the_human_micobiome_in_granulomatosis_with_polyangiitis__A_pilot_study

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is an autoimmune disease associated with antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies and arises from dysregulated immune responses in the respiratory epithelium. Geographic associations point to an environmental cause in patients with an appropriate immunogenetic predisposition. The human microbiome exhibits a rich, dynamic, complex, and individual-specific interaction with the individual. Thus, this study will elucidate the role of nasal colonisation in GPA by microbiome analysis. This will yield a detailed analysis of the nasal microbiota obtained from patients in three different disease states. The initial investigation under the Project will include patients with (i) new-onset of disease or at relapse; (ii) patients in ‘on drug’ remission still on immunosuppressive medication; and (iii) patients in stable ‘off drug’ remission with no ongoing immunomodulatory therapy.