Lung microbiome in HIV positive patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis

This study was performed in South Africa where there is a high prevelance of HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) co-infection. The lung microbiome was studied in 3 groups using 16S rRNA next generation sequencing: A HIV positive group with no respiratory disease A HIV positive group with pneumonia who were culture negative for TB A HIV positive group with pulmonary TB In the first group sputum was collected using a lung flute. In the second and third, sputum was also collected with a lung flute, but where possible additional bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens were collected. The aim of the study was to describe the dominant genera of the microbiome in the three groups, to look at differences in alpha and beta diversity and to explore which micro-organisms were dominantly expressed to drive differences.