Alterations in Oral Microbiota in HIV are Related to Decreased Pulmonary Function.

RATIONALE: Mechanisms of HIV-associated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are poorly understood. The oral microbiome shapes the lung microbiome and gut dysbiosis can impact lung diseases; however, relationships of the oral and gut microbiome to COPD in HIV have not been explored.

OBJECTIVES: To examine alterations in the oral and gut microbiome associated with pulmonary disease in persons with HIV (PWH).

METHODS: 75 PWH and 93 HIV-uninfected men from the Multicenter AIDS cohort study performed pulmonary function testing. Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA in saliva and stool was performed. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling, permutational multivariate analysis of variance and linear discriminant analysis to analyze communities by HIV and lung function.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Oral microbiome composition differed by HIV and smoking status. Alterations of oral microbial communities were observed in PWH with abnormal lung function with increases in relative abundance of Veillonella, Streptococcus and Lactobacillus. There were no significant associations between the oral microbiome and lung function in HIV-uninfected individuals. No associations with HIV status or lung function were seen with the gut microbiome.

CONCLUSIONS: Alterations of oral microbiota in PWH were related to impaired pulmonary function and to systemic inflammation. These results suggest that the oral microbiome may serve as a biomarker of lung function in HIV and that its disruption may contribute to COPD pathogenesis.