Comparing microbiota composition of various airway sample types in adults with mild mild atopic asthma.

Perturbations to the composition and function of bronchial bacterial communities appear to contribute to the pathophysiology of asthma. Unraveling the nature and mechanisms of these complex associations will require large longitudinal studies, for which bronchoscopy is poorly suited. Studies based on samples obtained by the less-invasive means of sputum induction and nasopharyngeal brushing or lavage have also reported asthma-associated bacterial microbiota characteristics. It is unknown, however, whether, and if so, how the bacterial communities detected in these less-invasive sample types reflect the composition of bronchial microbiota in asthma. Bacterial microbiota in paired protected bronchial brushings, induced sputum, oral wash, and nasal brushings from atopic adults with mild asthma (AA), atopic adults without asthma (ANA) and healthy controls (HC) were profiled using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.