Laryngotracheal microbiota in adult laryngotracheal stenosis

Laryngotracheal stenosis is an obstructive respiratory disease that leads to voicing difficulties and dyspnea with potential life-threatening consequences. While recent evidence suggests a microbial contribution to mucosal inflammation the microbiota associated with different types of stenosis has not been characterized. High-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was performed to characterize the microbial communities of swab samples from iatrogenic and adult idiopathic stenosis patients. Non-scar swabs from stenosis patients were internal controls and swabs from patients without stenosis represented external controls.