Research progress of pulmonary microecology in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Abstract

In the past, it was considered that the lungs of healthy people were sterile.In recent years, DNA sequencing technology has been applied to the microbiological examination of respiratory specimens, and it has been found that there is complex microbiome in the lungs under healthy and pathological conditions.Now pulmonary microecology is considered to be closely related to lung health.More and more evidences have shown that bacteria play a role in the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The increased bacterial burden, differences in bacterial classification and reduced diversity may lead to disease progression, acute exacerbation, and mortality.The recent studies has highlighted the interaction between the lung microbiome and the immune system in IPF, strengthening the argument for the interaction of both host and environment in disease pathogenesis.Existing published data have shown that antibiotics and immunotherapy of pathogenic microorganisms are expected to be new targets for IPF treatment. \n \n \nKey words: \nIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis;\xa0Lung microbiome;\xa0Bacteria