Microbiota long-term dynamics and host-microbial associations in autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Background The importance of the human microbiota in health and disease, and its role in immune homeostasis is increasingly recognized. A number of studies have provided insight into characteristic shifts in the gut microbial community of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and linked microbial abundance patterns to clinical outcomes. However, so far the focus has been on allogeneic transplantation, i.e. the infusion of stem cells derived from a foreign donor. Autologous HSCT, involving the transplantation of the patients own cells, extracted and preserved before the onset of chemotherapy, has been studied to a lesser degree with regards to the microbiota. Recipients of auto-HSCT receive prophylactic antimicrobial treatment prior to transplantation, indicating that the microbiota might be affected and potentially plays a role in this patient group. Results Here, we have monitored long-term gut, oral, and nasal microbial abundances in a cohort of adult autologous HSCT recipients over the period of one year.