Table 2.
Summary of available studies examining the microbial flora of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using molecular techniques
| Citation | Cohort Size | Age (yr) | FEV1 % Predicted | Lung Sampling Technique | Molecular Methods |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilty et al (82) | Asthma (n =10) | 37.6 | 81.0 | Bronchoscopic brushes from LUL in all, RUL also in some | 454 |
| COPD (n = 5) | 57.0 | 51.2 | |||
| Healthy control subjects (n = 8) | 52.9 | 100.8 | |||
| Huang et al (83) | COPD (n = 8) | 74.1 | NA (all intubated for AECOPD) | Banked endotracheal aspirates | PhyloChip |
| Erb-Downward et al (73) | Healthy smokers (n = 7) | 50.7 | 103.1 | BAL | 454 |
| Healthy nonsmokers (n = 3) | 61.3 | 110.0 | BAL | ||
| COPD (n = 4) | 54.0 | 65.3 | BAL | ||
| COPD (n = 6) | 61.2 | 16.0 | Endobronchial tissue | ||
| Pragman et al (84) | Healthy control subjects (n = 10) | 39.5 | NA | BAL | 454 |
| Moderate COPD (n = 14) | 69.7 | Frozen BAL | |||
| Severe COPD (n = 8) | 62.6 | Frozen BAL | |||
| Cabrera-Rubio et al (85) | COPD (n = 6) | NA | 60.5 | Sputum | 454 |
| BAL | |||||
| Bronchial biopsy | |||||
| Bronchial aspirate | |||||
| Sze et al (86) | Healthy nonsmokers (n = 8) | 56.3 | 88.8 | Distal parenchymal tissue | 454 |
| Healthy smokers (n = 8) | 56.9 | 94.3 | |||
| COPD (n = 8) | 58.8 | 15.4 | |||
| Cystic fibrosis (n = 8) | 32.6 | 35.0 |
Definition of abbreviations: 454 = 454 pyrosequencing platform; AECOPD = acute exacerbation of COPD; BAL = bronchoalveolar lavage; COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; LUL = left upper lobe; NA = not available; RUL = right upper lobe.