Nasopharyngeal microbiota is influenced by agricultural air pollution in individuals with and without COPD

The study included nasopharyngeal swabs from 186 currently non-smoking participants in the Netherlands, including 65 individuals with COPD and 121 without from a regional rural cohort. An additional 116 individuals from a population-wide cohort were included as national controls. Samples were taken at three time points over 12 weeks (baseline, 6 and 12 weeks). The nasopharyngeal microbiota was studied using 16S rRNA-based sequencing for all baseline samples and a random selection of 6-week and 12-week samples. The goal of the study was to investigate the impact of residential exposure to livestock-related air pollution on the nasopharyngeal microbiota in individuals with COPD compared to healthy controls.