Transcriptomic Characterization of Tuberculous Sputum Reveals a Host Warburg Effect and Microbial Cholesterol Catabolism
Rachel P. J. Lai, Teresa Cortes, Suzaan Marais, Neesha Rockwood, Melissa L. Burke, Acely Garza-Garcia, Stuart Horswell, Abdul K. Sesay, Anne O’Garra, Douglas B. Young, Robert J. Wilkinson
Abstract
Although a few studies have described the microbiome composition of TB sputa based on 16S ribosomal DNA, these studies did not compare to non-TB samples and the nature of the method does not allow any functional inference. This is the first study to apply such technology using clinical specimens and obtained functional transcriptional data on all three aspects simultaneously. We anticipate that an improved understanding on the biological interactions in the respiratory tract may also allow novel interventions, such as those involving microbiome manipulation or inhibitor targeting disease-specific metabolic pathways.