Certain lung bacteria not traditionally viewed as pathogens may be linked to lower airway inflammation and modestly better lung function across chronic respiratory diseases, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. Researchers analyzed 34 observational studies involving more than 4,000 patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, or overlap syndromes. Genera including Prevotella, Veillonella, Rothia, and Neisseria were associated with lower inflammatory markers, while Prevotella and Veillonella also correlated with modest improvements in lung function. Investigators emphasized that the findings were observational and hypothesis-generating, with associations varying by disease type and limited by genus-level microbiome analysis methods.

Source: npj Biofilms and Microbiomes