Odendaal Mari-Lee, Taenzer Julia, de Rooij Myrna M T, Kuiling Sjoerd, Bogaert Debby, Franz Eelco, Smit Lidwien A M
Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 5;15(1):15653. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-00242-9.
Respiratory health in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is influenced by environmental factors such as air pollution, yet the role of the airway microbiota in this relationship remains unclear. We investigated the association between exposure to air pollution from livestock farms and the nasopharyngeal microbiota in individuals with COPD compared to healthy control subjects. 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. Additionally, 116 individuals from a population-wide cohort were included as national controls. Samples were taken at three time points over 12 weeks. The nasopharyngeal microbiota was studied using 16 S rRNA gene-based sequencing for all baseline samples and a random selection of 6-weeks and 12-weeks samples. Dispersion models were used to determine the average concentrations of livestock-related PM, endotoxin, and ammonia at the participants' home addresses. Individuals with COPD had a higher absolute abundance of anaerobic bacteria, such as Peptoniphilus, Anaerococcus, Finegoldia magna, and Prevotella. Importantly, residential exposure to ammonia was identified as the most important driver of the microbial community composition, explaining 6.6% of the variation in nasopharyngeal microbiota in individuals with COPD. Higher ammonia concentrations were associated with decreased levels of key commensals and increased abundance of anaerobic bacteria. Furthermore, individuals living in areas with high livestock density exhibited greater microbial diversity compared to the broader national population. The study highlights the influence of residential exposure to livestock-related air pollution, particularly ammonia, on nasopharyngeal microbiota composition in individuals with COPD. Our findings suggest that environmental factors significantly impact microbial communities and underscore the potential role of anaerobic bacteria in COPD pathology. Future research should further investigate the mechanisms by which environmental air pollutants affect microbial communities and explore potential interventions to mitigate their effects on respiratory health.
慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）的呼吸健康受空气污染等环境因素影响，但气道微生物群在这种关系中的作用仍不清楚。我们调查了与健康对照受试者相比，COPD患者接触畜牧场空气污染与鼻咽微生物群之间的关联。该研究纳入了荷兰186名目前不吸烟参与者的鼻咽拭子，其中包括65名COPD患者和121名来自区域农村队列的非COPD患者。此外，还纳入了116名来自全人群队列的个体作为全国对照。在12周内的三个时间点采集样本。使用基于16S rRNA基因的测序技术对所有基线样本以及随机选择的6周和12周样本进行鼻咽微生物群研究。采用扩散模型确定参与者家庭住址处与牲畜相关的颗粒物、内毒素和氨的平均浓度。COPD患者中厌氧细菌的绝对丰度较高，如嗜胨菌属、厌氧球菌属、大芬戈尔德菌和普雷沃菌属。重要的是，居住环境中氨的暴露被确定为微生物群落组成的最重要驱动因素，解释了COPD患者鼻咽微生物群6.6%的变异。较高的氨浓度与关键共生菌水平降低和厌氧细菌丰度增加有关。此外，与更广泛的全国人群相比，生活在牲畜密度高的地区的个体表现出更大的微生物多样性。该研究强调了居住环境中与牲畜相关的空气污染，尤其是氨，对COPD患者鼻咽微生物群组成的影响。我们的研究结果表明环境因素显著影响微生物群落，并强调了厌氧细菌在COPD病理中的潜在作用。未来的研究应进一步调查环境空气污染物影响微生物群落的机制，并探索潜在的干预措施以减轻其对呼吸健康的影响。
