16S sequencing from human airway sites Raw sequence reads

The rationale for the present study is that evaluation of the pathogenic character of the COPD lung microbiota has been hindered by concerns that oral taxa found in the COPD lung microbiota are the result of sample contamination rather than aspiration. Therefore, we have designed the present study to sample the mild or moderate COPD lung tissue microbiota surgically—without passing the sample through the oropharynx—and avoiding potential upper airway contamination of lung samples. Demonstrating that oral microbes are true components of the COPD lung microbiota will implicate aspiration as a potential pathogenic mechanism in COPD. We hypothesized that oral bacteria are true members of the early-stage COPD lung microbiota and exhibit ecologic drift.