Yoo Ji Youn, McSkimming Daniel, Rajan Kalavathy, Sarkar Anujit, Labbé Nicole, Groer Maureen, Menon Usha
College of Nursing, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
Interdisciplinary Unit in Data Science & Analytics, Buffalo State University, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA.
Life (Basel). 2023 Sep 18;13(9):1928. doi: 10.3390/life13091928.
Firefighters are exposed to occupational hazards and have a higher prevalence of health issues. The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the immune, endocrine, and neural systems, and disruptions in its composition can impact health outcomes. This pilot study aimed to investigate the potential association between occupational factors, changes in gut microbiota, and the development of adverse health outcomes in firefighters. To test this hypothesis, we recruited 15 firefighters and age/sex-matched controls to investigate the relationship between occupational environment and gut microbiota. Firefighters exhibit lower intestinal bacterial alpha diversity and a higher presence of pathogenic bacteria than the control. Moreover, unique gut bacterial taxa were observed in firefighters with high post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scores, which could contribute to immune dysregulation and higher susceptibility to pathogen colonization. These preliminary findings suggest that occupational factors, including exposure to traumatic stressors and chemicals, may influence firefighters' health by modulating their gut microbiota. The observed changes in gut microbiota composition and the potential link to occupational hazards highlight the need for further research in larger sample-size studies. Understanding the role of gut microbiota in firefighter health may have implications for preventive measures and interventions to mitigate occupational health risks and improve overall well-being.
消防员面临职业危害，健康问题的患病率较高。肠道微生物群在免疫、内分泌和神经系统中起着至关重要的作用，其组成的破坏会影响健康结果。这项初步研究旨在调查职业因素、肠道微生物群的变化与消防员不良健康结果的发展之间的潜在关联。为了验证这一假设，我们招募了15名消防员和年龄/性别匹配的对照组，以研究职业环境与肠道微生物群之间的关系。与对照组相比，消防员的肠道细菌α多样性较低，病原菌的存在率较高。此外，在创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）得分较高的消防员中观察到独特的肠道细菌分类群，这可能导致免疫失调和对病原体定植的易感性增加。这些初步发现表明，包括接触创伤性应激源和化学物质在内的职业因素可能通过调节肠道微生物群来影响消防员的健康。观察到的肠道微生物群组成变化以及与职业危害的潜在联系凸显了在更大样本量研究中进行进一步研究的必要性。了解肠道微生物群在消防员健康中的作用可能对预防措施和干预措施有影响，以减轻职业健康风险并改善整体健康状况。
