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The Human Respiratory Microbiome: The End of the Beginning?

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Essentials in Lung Transplantation

Abstract

The human respiratory microbiome is a subset of the human microbiome which comprises all organisms that live on and in the human body, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, bacteriophages and archaea. Once considered sterile, we now know that the lungs harbour a rich diversity of organisms which may vary temporally and spatially within the lungs, the so called pulmonary microbiome. Perturbations of which, occasioned by acute infections and immune suppression, may lead to a state of dysbiosis, the full implications of which are not yet known. So, it is a most engaging time to be involved in the exploration of the diversity and richness of this part of the respiratory microbiome in particular, especially as new tools, including next generation sequencing are beginning to answer fundamental questions. Much work remains to be done but we are in sight of the end of the beginning.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Lung Transplant Unit, Department of Thoracic Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Alicia B. Mitchell & Allan R. Glanville

  2. The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Alicia B. Mitchell

  3. School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia

    Alicia B. Mitchell

Authors
  1. Alicia B. Mitchell
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  2. Allan R. Glanville
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Allan R. Glanville .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Lung Transplant Unit, Department of Thoracic Medicine, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Allan R. Glanville

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Mitchell, A.B., Glanville, A.R. (2019). The Human Respiratory Microbiome: The End of the Beginning?. In: Glanville, A. (eds) Essentials in Lung Transplantation . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90933-2_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90933-2_8

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