ABSTRACT

The nasopharynx is a key niche of the upper respiratory tract which contains many commensal bacteria and potential pathogens. Dysbiosis of the nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiota is associated with a variety of respiratory diseases. Little is known about NP flora in healthy youth, nor about its relationship with environmental factors. We characterized NP microbiota using the 16S rRNA gene sequencing method, and compared microbial composition from subjects sampled in Spring and Fall when exposed to different environmental factors. Results showed that beta diversity was significantly different. Phyla Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, and genus Symbiobacterium were positively associated with PM_2.5. Genera Streptococcus, Prevotella, and [Prevotella] were positively correlated with temperature (T). Ozone (O₃) was associated with these floras for exposure that occurred 30 days prior to collection. These preliminary data suggest that the change in environmental factors between spring and fall can influence the composition of the NP microbiota, characterized by a significant correlation to specific taxa. These changes in NP microbiota might be a potential risk factor for respiratory disease.

摘要

鼻咽是上呼吸道的关键生态位，含有许多共生细菌和潜在病原体。鼻咽 (NP) 微生物群的生态失调与多种呼吸系统疾病有关。对健康青年中的 NP 菌群及其与环境因素的关系知之甚少。我们使用 16S rRNA 基因测序方法对 NP 微生物群进行了表征，并比较了在春季和秋季采样的受试者在暴露于不同环境因素时的微生物组成。结果表明，β多样性存在显着差异。Phyla Acidobacteria 、Gemmatimonadetes和共生菌属与 PM _2.5呈正相关。链球菌属、普氏菌属和[Prevotella]与温度 (T) 呈正相关。臭氧 (O ₃ ) 与这些菌群在采集前 30 天发生的接触有关。这些初步数据表明，春季和秋季之间环境因素的变化会影响 NP 微生物群的组成，其特征是与特定分类群显着相关。NP微生物群的这些变化可能是呼吸道疾病的潜在危险因素。