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Sputum Microbiota and the Association With Clinical Parameters in Steady-state, Acute Exacerbation and Convalescence of Bronchiectasis

Not Applicable
Conditions
Bronchiectasis
Interventions
Drug: Antibiotics
Registration Number
NCT02315547
Lead Sponsor
Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease
Brief Summary

Study 1 is a cross-sectional investigation. Patients with clinically stable bronchiectasis (symptoms, including cough frequency, sputum volume and purulence, within normal daily variations) will undergo baseline assessment consisting of history taking, routine sputum culture, 16srRNA pyrosequencing, measurement of sputum inflammatory markers, oxidative stress biomarkers and MMPs, and spirometry. Microbiota taxa will be compared between bronchiectasis patients and healthy subjects.

In study 2, patients inform investigators upon symptom deterioration. Following diagnosis of BEs, patients will undergo the aforementioned assessments as soon as possible. This entails antibiotic treatment, with slightly modified protocol, based on British Thoracic Society guidelines \[16\]. At 1 week after completion of 14-day antibiotic therapy, patients will undergo convalescence visit.

Study 3 is a prospective 1-year follow-up scheme in which patients participated in telephone or hospital visits every 3 months. For individual visit, spirometry and sputum culture will be performed, and BEs will be meticulously captured from clinical charts and history inquiry, with the final decisions adjudicated following group discussion.

Detailed Description

Bronchiectasis is a chronic airway disease characterized by airway infection, inflammation and destruction \[1\]. Bacteria are frequently responsible for the vicious cycle seen in bronchiectasis. Clinically, potentially pathogenic microorganisms (PPMs) primarily consisted of Hemophilus influenzae, Hemophilus parainfluenzae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis \[1\]. These PPMs elicit airway inflammation \[2-5\] and biofilm formation \[6\] leading to and oxidative stress \[7,8\]. However, different PPMs harbor varying effects on bronchiectasis. For instance, P. aeruginosa has been linked to more pronounced airway inflammation and poorer lung function \[9,10\].

However, it should be recognized that routine sputum bacterial culture techniques could only effectively identify a small proportion of PPMs. The assay sensitivity and specificity could be significantly affected by the duration from sampling to culture, the culture media and environment. Pyrosequencing of the bacterial 16srRNA might offer more comprehensive assessment of the airway microbiota. Based on this technique, Goleva and associates \[11\] identified an abundance of gram-negative microbiota (predominantly the phylum proteobacteria) which might be responsible for corticosteroid insensitivity. The microbiome of airways in patients with asthma \[11,12\], idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis \[13\] and bronchiectasis \[14,15\] has also been characterized. Furthermore, the association between the "core microbiota" and clinical parameters (i.e., FEV1) has been demonstrated. However, previous studies suffered from relatively small sample size and lack of comprehensive sets of clinical parameters for further analyses.

Bronchiectasis exacerbations (BEs) are characterized by significantly worsened symptoms and (or) signs that warrant antibiotics therapy. The precise mechanisms responsible for triggering BEs have not been fully elucidated, but could be related to virus infection and increased bacterial virulence. However, it should be recognized that antibiotics, despite extensive bacterial resistance, remain effective for most BEs. This at least partially suggested that bacterial infection might have played a major role in the pathogenesis of BEs. Therefore, the assessment of sputum microbiota during steady-state, BEs and convalescence may unravel more insights into the dynamic variation in microbiota compositions and the principal microbiota phylum or species that account for BEs.

In the this study, the investigators seek to perform 16srRNA pyrosequencing to determine: 1) the differences in microbiota compositions between bronchiectasis patients and healthy subjects; 2) association between sputum microbiota compositions and clinical parameters, including systemic/airway inflammation, spirometry, disease severity, airway oxidative stress biomarkers and matrix metalloproteinase; 3) the microbiota compositions in patients who yielded "normal flora (commensals)", in particular those who produced massive sputum daily (\>50ml/d); 4) dynamic changes in microbiota compositions during BEs and convalescence as compared with baseline levels; 5) the utility of predominant microbiota taxa in predicting lung function decline and future risks of BEs during 1-year follow-up.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
120
Inclusion Criteria
  • Patients of either sex and age between 18 and 85 years
Exclusion Criteria
  1. Patient judged to have poor compliance
  2. Female patient who is lactating or pregnant
  3. Patients having concomitant severe systemic illnesses (i.e. coronary heart disease, cerebral stroke, uncontrolled hypertension, active gastric ulcer, malignant tumor, hepatic dysfunction, renal dysfunction)
  4. Miscellaneous conditions that would potentially influence efficacy assessment, as judged by the investigators
  5. Participation in another clinical trial within the preceding 3 months

Inclusion criteria for healthy subjects include all of the above criteria except for known respiratory diseases

It is estimated that 120 patients will be recruited in the study. Some of the patients in the BISER study (currently still ongoing, No.: NCT01761214) who are eligible for the current study will undergo assessments de novo, with the index date deemed as the the date of recruitment

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
AntibioticsAntibioticsPatients will be given antibiotics based on sputum microbiology during steady-state bronchiectasis. The methodology has been described in the British Thoracic Society guideline \[16\]. Briefly, for first-line therapy, patients isolated with Hemophilus influenzae, Hemophilus parainfluenzae, Streptoccus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis at baseline will be treated with amoxicillin clavulanate potassium (625mg bid); patients isolated with Klebsela pneumonae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa at baseline will be treated with fluoroquinolones. Levofloxacin (500mg qd) will be empirically employed for antibiotic treatment in those who tested negative to sputum microbiology. Severe BEs could be prescribed with intravenous antibiotics therapy at the discretion of study investigators, either in the out-patient department or hospitalized for intensive systemic treatment. Hospitalized patients will not be included in the exacerbation cohort.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
relative abundance, diversity and richness of microbiota taxaJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years

Sputum microbiota taxa compositions (at phylum and species levels, respectively), including the relative abundance, diversity and richness

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Serum inflammatory indicesJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years

IL-8, TNF-α, WBC and CRP

Sputum sol phase oxidative stress biomarkers or parametersJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years

CAT, hydrogen peroxide, superoxide dismutase, MDA

Sputum sol phase inflammatory biomarkersJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years

IL-8 and TNF-α

Sputum sol phase matrix metalloproteinasesJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years

MMP-8, MMP-9, TIMP-1, MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio

24-hour sputum volumeJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years

24-hour sputum volume, measured to the nearest 5 ml

SpirometryJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years

FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, MMEF

Bronchiectasis Severity IndexJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years
Sputum culture findingsJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years

normally reported as growth of a predominant potentially pathogenic microorganism or no bacterial growth

Sputum purulenceJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years

scale 1 to 8

SGRQ total score and the scores of individual domainsJan 2015 to Dec 2017, up to 3 years

SGRQ total score and the scores of individual domains

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease

🇨🇳

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

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