Looking beyond respiratory cultures: Microbiome-cytokine signatures of XXXX and tracheobronchitis in lung transplant recipients.

@entity32 @entity796 @entity55 @entity794 @entity1729 @entity2028 @entity694
UNASSIGNED: @entity2028 and tracheobronchitis are diagnosed frequently following lung transplantation. The diseases share clinical signs of @entity32 and are often difficult to differentiate based on culture results. Microbiome and host immune response signatures that distinguish between @entity55 and tracheobronchitis are undefined. Using a retrospective study design, we selected 49 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples from 16 lung transplant recipients diagnosed with @entity55 (n=8), tracheobronchitis (n=12) or colonization without @entity1729 (n=29). We ensured an even distribution of @entity796 or @entity794 culture-positive samples across the groups. Bayesian regression analysis identified non-culture based signatures comprising 16S rRNA microbiome profiles, cytokine levels, and clinical variables that characterized the three diagnoses. Relative to samples associated with colonization, those from @entity55 had significantly lower microbial diversity, decreased levels of several bacterial genera, and prominent multifunctional cytokine responses. In contrast, tracheobronchitis was characterized by high microbial diversity and multifunctional cytokine responses that differed from those of @entity694 comparisons. The dissimilar microbiomes and cytokine responses underlying @entity2028 and tracheobronchitis following lung transplantation suggest that the diseases result from different pathogenic processes. Microbiomes and cytokine responses had complementary features, suggesting that they are closely inter-connected in the pathogenesis of both diseases. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
