Metagenome analysis using serum extracellular vesicles identified distinct microbiota in asthmatics

Abstract

Different patterns of bacterial communities have been reported in the airways and gastrointestinal tract of asthmatics when compared to healthy controls. However, the blood microbiome of asthmatics is yet to be investigated. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether a distinct serum microbiome is observed in asthmatics by metagenomic analysis of serum extracellular vesicles (EVs). We obtained serum from 190 adults with asthma and 260 healthy controls, from which EVs were isolated and analyzed. The bacterial composition of asthmatics was significantly different from that of healthy controls. Chao 1 index was significantly higher in the asthma group, while Shannon and Simpson indices were higher in the control group. At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes was more abundant in asthmatics, while Actinobacter, Verrucomicrobia, and Cyanobacteria were more abundant in healthy controls. At the genus level, 24 bacterial genera showed differences in relative abundance between asthmatics and controls, with linear discriminant analysis scores greater than 3. Further, in a diagnostic model based on these differences, a high predictive value with a sensitivity of 0.92 and a specificity of 0.93 was observed. In conclusion, we demonstrated distinct blood microbiome in asthma indicating the role of microbiome as a potential diagnostic marker of asthma.