Differential abundance in upper respiratory microbiome between smoking and non-smoking COVID-19 patients

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Authors

  • Thuy Truc Anh Le \(^1\) School of Biotechnology, International University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Quarter 6, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1161-8103
  • Bao Ngoc Mach \(^2\) NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, 300A Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Ward 13, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8098-9611
  • Hoang Dang Khoa Do \(^2\) NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, 300A Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Ward 13, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7970-9359
  • Thi Thu Hoai Nguyen \(^1\) School of Biotechnology, International University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Quarter 6, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
    \(^3\) Research Center for Infectious Diseases, International University, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Quarter 6, Linh Trung Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
    https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4869-1827
  • Minh Thiet Vu \(^2\) NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, 300A Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Ward 13, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7950-0758

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15625/vjbt-19787

Keywords:

16S metagenomics, COVID-19, smoking, upper respiratory tract

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in significant respiratory morbidity and mortality. Smoking is a well-established risk factor for adverse respiratory outcomes, and it may exacerbate COVID-19 outcomes by altering the upper respiratory tract (URT) microbiome. However, the association between smoking, the URT microbiome, and COVID-19 severity remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the microbial community in the UTR of smoking and non-smoking COVID-19 patients using 16S ribosomal RNA metagenomic datasets. By characterizing the microbial profiles of the URT of 88 COVID-19 patients with and without a smoking history, we examined the differences in the URT microbiome between smokers and non-smokers and identified bacteria that could serve as smoking signatures. Our study found that Prevotella was the most abundant genus in the URT microbiome of both smoking and non-smoking COVID-19 patients, followed by five other dominant genera. Notably, Fusobacterium was significantly higher in smokers than non-smokers, suggesting that smoking may affect the URT microbial composition. However, the alpha and beta diversity indices showed no significant differences within and across communities, regardless of smoking status or levels of severity. Differential abundance analysis suggested that the impact of smoking on the URT microbiome may lead to an increase in the abundance of Streptobacillus in smoking patients. Overall, this study highlights the potential impact of smoking on the URT microbiome and its relevance to COVID-19 outcomes. Thus, it provides insights into the underlying mechanisms that may lead to worsened COVID-19 outcomes due to smoking-induced alterations in the URT microbiome. 

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Published

30-03-2024

How to Cite

Le, T. T. A., Mach, B. N., Do, H. D. K., Nguyen, T. T. H., & Vu, M. T. (2024). Differential abundance in upper respiratory microbiome between smoking and non-smoking COVID-19 patients. Vietnam Journal of Biotechnology, 22(1), 169–186. https://doi.org/10.15625/vjbt-19787

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