Lung microbiota / Respiratory microbiota

Lung microbiota - complex and diverse microbial communities

Culture-independent microbiology, especially high-throughput sequencing, shows that healthy lungs contain complex and diverse microbial communities. The airway mucosa hosts a variety of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea, forming the respiratory microbiome. This microbiome's composition and role in respiratory health are starting to be understood. This finding challenges the previous belief that lungs are sterile. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

The functions of the upper respiratory microbiome

The upper respiratory microbiome functions as a gatekeeper. It protects against respiratory…