Alteration of the airway microbiota is associated with the progression of post-COVID-19 chronic cough in adults: a prospective study

Peiying Huang; Zhaowei Yang; Chen Zhan; Xiaojun Xiao; Zexuan Lian; Liman Fang; Shuxin Zhong; Jiahan Xu; Mo Xian; Naijian Li; Xinru Wang; Jing Li; Ruchong Chen

doi:10.1016/j.jgg.2024.06.015

Volume 51 Issue 10

Oct. 2024

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Article Navigation > Journal of Genetics and Genomics > 2024 > 51(10): 1111-1120

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Alteration of the airway microbiota is associated with the progression of post-COVID-19 chronic cough in adults: a prospective study

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2024.06.015

a. State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510182, China;
b. State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Allergy Division at Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China

Funds:

This study was supported by the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2022B1515120055) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82341060 and 82170024).

Received Date: 2024-05-06
Accepted Date: 2024-06-20
Rev Recd Date: 2024-06-20

Available Online: 2025-06-06

Publish Date: 2024-07-01

Abstract

Abstract

Cough is one of the most common symptoms observed in patients presenting with COVID-19, persisting for an extended duration following SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aim to describe the distribution of airway microbiota and explore its role in patients with post-COVID-19 chronic cough. A total of 57 patients experiencing persistent cough after infection were recruited during the Omicron wave of SARS-CoV-2 in China. Airway microbiota profiling is assessed in nasopharyngeal swab, nasal lavage, and induced sputum samples at 4 and 8 weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings reveal that bacterial families Staphylococcaceae, Corynebacteriaceae, and Enterobacteriaceae are the most prevalent in the upper airway, while Streptococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Prevotellaceae emerge as the most prevalent bacterial families in the lower airway. An increase in the abundance of Staphylococcus in nasopharyngeal swab samples and of Streptococcus in induced sputum samples is observed after one month. Furthermore, the abundance of Staphylococcus identified in nasopharyngeal swab samples at the baseline period emerges as an insightful predictor for improvement in cough severity. In conclusion, dynamic alterations in the airway microbial composition may contribute to the post-COVID-19 chronic cough progression, while the compositional signatures of nasopharyngeal microbiota could reflect the improvement of this disease.
- Airway microbiota,
- COVID-19,
- Airway dysbiosis,
- Chronic cough,
- Staphylococcus

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References(39)

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