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Review
. 2022 Nov 22;25(1):18.
doi: 10.3892/etm.2022.11718. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Human airway and lung microbiome at the crossroad of health and disease (Review)

Jovile Raudoniute  1 , Daiva Bironaite  1 , Edvardas Bagdonas  1 , Ieva Kulvinskiene  1 , Brigita Jonaityte  2 , Edvardas Danila  2 , Ruta Aldonyte  1
Affiliations
Review

Human airway and lung microbiome at the crossroad of health and disease (Review)

Jovile Raudoniute et al. Exp Ther Med. .

Abstract

The evolving field of the microbiome and microbiota has become a popular research topic. The human microbiome is defined as a new organ and is considered a living community of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms within a certain body space. The term 'microbiome' is used to define the entire genome of the microbiota. Bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae and small protists are all members of the microbiota, followed by phages, viruses, plasmids and mobile genetic elements. The composition, heterogeneity and dynamics of microbiomes in time and space, their stability and resistance, essential characteristics and key participants, as well as interactions within the microbiome and with the host, are crucial lines of investigation for the development of successful future diagnostics and therapies. Standardization of microbiome studies and harmonized comparable methodologies are required for the transfer of knowledge from fundamental science into the clinic. Human health is dependent on microbiomes and achieved by nurturing beneficial resident microorganisms and their interplay with the host. The present study reviewed scientific knowledge on the major components of the human respiratory microbiome, i.e. bacteria, viruses and fungi, their symbiotic and parasitic roles, and, also, major diseases of the human respiratory tract and their microbial etiology. Bidirectional relationships regulate microbial ecosystems and host susceptibility. Moreover, environmental insults render host tissues and microbiota disease-prone. The human respiratory microbiome reflects the ambient air microbiome. By understanding the human respiratory microbiome, potential therapeutic strategies may be proposed.

Keywords: respiratory bacteriome; respiratory microbiome; respiratory mycobiome; respiratory virome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Major bacteria that cause diseases throughout the human respiratory tract.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Viral life forms of the human respiratory tract.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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