Del Prete Valentina, Piazzesi Antonia, Scanu Matteo, Toto Francesca, Pane Stefania, Berrilli Federica, Paterno Giovangiacinto, Putignani Lorenza, di Cave David
Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy.
Management and Diagnostic Innovations & Clinical Pathways Research Area, Unit of Microbiome, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, 00144 Rome, Italy.
Pathogens. 2025 Jan 16;14(1):82. doi: 10.3390/pathogens14010082.
Pneumonia caused by infection (PCP) is a potentially life-threatening illness, particularly affecting the immunocompromised. The past two decades have shown an increase in PCP incidence; however, the underlying factors that promote disease severity and fatality have yet to be fully elucidated. Recent evidence suggests that the microbiota of the respiratory tract may play a role in stimulating or repressing pulmonary inflammation, as well as the progression of both bacterial and viral pneumonia. Here, we employed 16S rRNA metataxonomic sequencing to profile the respiratory microbiota of patients with mild-moderate and severe PCP. Our results show that the upper and lower airways of PCP patients have bacterial profiles which have been associated with a pro-inflammatory response. Furthermore, we find that severe PCP is associated with lower bacterial diversity and an increase in and a decrease in . Functionally, severe PCP was associated with a decrease in metabolic pathways of molecules with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing an association of PCP severity with shifts in the respiratory microbiome and may provide some insight into which patients are more susceptible to the more severe manifestations of the disease.
由感染引起的肺炎（PCP）是一种潜在的危及生命的疾病，尤其会影响免疫功能低下者。在过去二十年中，PCP的发病率有所上升；然而，促进疾病严重程度和死亡率的潜在因素尚未完全阐明。最近的证据表明，呼吸道微生物群可能在刺激或抑制肺部炎症以及细菌性和病毒性肺炎的进展中发挥作用。在这里，我们采用16S rRNA宏分类测序来分析轻度至中度和重度PCP患者的呼吸道微生物群。我们的结果表明，PCP患者的上呼吸道和下呼吸道具有与促炎反应相关的细菌谱。此外，我们发现重度PCP与较低的细菌多样性以及[此处原文缺失具体内容]的增加和[此处原文缺失具体内容]的减少有关。在功能上，重度PCP与具有抗炎和抗菌特性的分子的代谢途径减少有关。据我们所知，这是第一项显示PCP严重程度与呼吸道微生物群变化之间存在关联的研究，可能为哪些患者更容易出现该疾病的更严重表现提供一些见解。
