The respiratory tract microbiome, the pathogen load, and clinical interventions define severity of bacterial pneumonia.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial pneumonia is a considerable problem worldwide. Here, we follow the inter-kingdom respiratory tract microbiome (RTM) of a unique cohort of 38 hospitalized patients (n = 97 samples) with pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila. The RTM composition is characterized by diversity drops early in hospitalization and ecological species replacement. RTMs with the highest bacterial and fungal loads show low diversity and pathogen enrichment, suggesting high biomass as a biomarker for secondary and/or co-infections. The RTM structure is defined by a "commensal" cluster associated with a healthy RTM and a "pathogen" enriched one, suggesting that the cluster equilibrium drives the microbiome to recovery or dysbiosis. Legionella biomass correlates with disease severity and co-morbidities, w

SUBMITTER: Perez-Cobas AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10518590 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature