VGO COPD case-control 16s

Air pollution from livestock farms is a known respiratory health risk for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We hypothesise that air pollutants could affect respiratory health through modulation of the airway microbiome. Therefore, we studied determinants of the oropharyngeal microbiota (OPM) composition of COPD patients and controls in a livestock-dense area.Oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 99 community-based (mostly mild) COPD cases and 184 controls (baseline), and after 6 and 12 weeks. Participants were non-smokers or former smokers, Annual average livestock-related outdoor air pollution at the home address was predicted using dispersion modelling. OPM composition was analysed using 16S rRNA-based sequencing in all baseline samples and 6-week and 12-week repeated samples of 20 randomly selected subjects. (n=323 samples)