Sputum microbiome in COPD patients

Microbiome data studying which microorganisms are responsible for exacerbations are limited in sputa of COPD patients. The lung microbiome is a new approach to add additional insights about the causal pathogens and the shift in bacterial community of COPD patients.The goal of this study was to identify which microorganism(s) may have triggered the exacerbations of COPD patients. We compared the sputa microbiome of COPD patients when clinically stable and during an exacerbation.This study shows a clear shift in the microbiome of patients during exacerbation, mostly toward Proteobacteria and Firmicutes.