Fig. 3.

Genus-level comparison of BAL microbial communities among the two study groups showed no differences in microbial composition among interstitial lung diseases (ILD) and pulmonary sarcoidosis (PS) patients. At genus level, we found the prevalence of members of the Bacteroidetes phylum being Prevotella (42.5%) and [Prevotella] (8.4%) the most abundant genera. Members of the Firmicutes and Proteobacteria phyla were also represented in both groups; Streptococcus (Firmicutes), Neisseria and Haemophilus (both within Proteobacteria) genera were respectively the most abundant within these two groups of patients, even if at a rather low level