Abstract
Smokeless tobacco product (STP) consumption is a significant public health threat across the globe. STPs are not only a storehouse of carcinogens and toxicants but also harbor microbes that aid in the conversion of tobacco alkaloids to carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), thereby posing a further threat to the health of its consumers. The present study analyzed the bacterial diversity of popular dry and loose STPs by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This NGS-based investigation revealed four dominant phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria and identified 549 genera, Prevotella, Bacteroides, and Lactobacillus constituting the core bacteriome of these STPs. The most significantly diverse bacteriome profile was displayed by the loose STP Mainpuri kapoori. The study further predicted the functional attributes of the prevalent genera by Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) algorithm. Genes encoding for nitrate and nitrite reduction and transport enzymes, antibiotic resistance, multi-drug transporters and efflux pumps, secretion of endo- and exotoxin, and other pro-inflammatory molecules were identified. The loose STPs showed the highest level of nitrogen metabolism genes which can contribute to the synthesis of TSNAs. This study reveals the bacteriome of Indian domestic loose STPs that stagger behind in manufacturing and storage stringencies. Our results raise an alarm that the consumption of STPs harboring pathogenic genera can potentially lead to the onset of several oral and systemic diseases. Nevertheless, an in-depth correlation analysis of the microbial diversity of STPs and their elicit impact on consumer health is warranted.
Graphical abstract
Key points
• Smokeless tobacco harbors bacteria that aid in synthesis of carcinogenic nitrosamines.
• Most diverse bacteriome profile was displayed by loose smokeless tobacco products.
• Pathogenic genera in these products can harm the oral and systemic health of users.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated during the current study was submitted to the Short Read Archive of NCBI (BioProject accession number PRJNA787750) and is also available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India under the Task-Force project (ISRM/14(04)/TF/2018) funding acquisition to MB. We thank the Director, ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, for the facilities provided for this work. The authors acknowledge the efforts of the technical assistants, Ravi Yadav and Lata Joshi, for procurement of STPs. The Biokart India Pvt. Ltd. Bengaluru, India, services for metagenomics sequencing and data processing are thankfully acknowledged.
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SS wrote the first draft. MS analyzed the data. HS reviewed and edited the manuscript. MB designed the research and acquired the funding. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
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Srivastava, S., Sajid, M., Singh, H. et al. Delineating the Bacteriome of Packaged and Loose Smokeless Tobacco Products Available in North India. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 106, 4129–4144 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-022-11979-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-022-11979-y