The analysis of nasal microbiota is more effective than gut microbiota analysis in predicting sepsis in ICU patients, according to a new study published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum. The study found that the nasal microbiota can effectively distinguish septic from non-septic cases, and these findings could have implications for the development of diagnostic strategies and advancements in critical care medicine, said corresponding study author Xiaolong He.Professor, M.D., and Ph.D. at the Microbiome Medicine Center in Guangzhou, China, emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the respiratory microbiota in addition to the intestinal microbiota of sepsis patients. Sepsis is a serious illness with a high mortality rate, and despite the establishment of the Sepsis-3 definition in 2016, there are still many aspects of sepsis that need to be further explored to improve its diagnosis.The shift in diagnostic criteria from Sepsis-1 to Sepsis-3 highlights the ongoing need for further research. Previously, the focus was primarily on the body’s inflammatory response, but now the criteria also consider organ failure resulting from an infection. Despite advancements in sepsis diagnosis, there are still no strong biological indicators that are both sensitive and specific. Additionally, the low rate of positive cultures and the limited presence of culturable microorganisms make it challenging to diagnose clinical sepsis. As a result, there is a continued effort in research to identify a new, reliable biomarker for sepsis.In a recent study, a total of 157 participants, 89 of which had sepsis, were recruited from both genders at the affiliated hospital of Southern Medical University. Nasal swabs and fecal specimens were collected from patients in the ICU and Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The DNA was extracted and sequenced using Illumina technology. Bioinformatics analysis, statistical processing, and machine learning techniques were used to distinguish between septic and non-septic patients.
The researchers found that septic patients had a lower community richness in their nasal microbiota compared to non-septic patients.(P=0.002) and unique compositions (P=0.001) when compared to patients who are not suffering from sepsis. The nasal microbiota of septic patients showed an increase in the presence of the genera Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas. The researchers recommended further studies, potentially using animal models or larger groups of patients, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the role of microbiota in sepsis, beyond its antibiotic effects,” stated He.