Sinonasal microbiome changes in patients with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis following surgical treatment

Abstract

The study of the resident microbiota by molecular techniques has revolutionized the understanding of the sinonasal flora in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), allowing the quantification and identification of various non-culturable germs. Most of these studies have carried out cross-sectional with a single evaluation, in an attempt to justify possible relations with the pathogenesis of CRS. To date, there are no reports of mid- and long-term prospective assessments of the sinonasal microbiota in patients with CRS, as well as the impact of these changes on clinical outcomes. In this study, we aim to evaluate the sinonasal flora (middle meatus swab) by next generation sequencing (NGS) of 35 patients with eosinophilic CRS before and after surgical treatment. We will assess the bacterial abundance and diversity at times 0, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-operatively, correlating the flora pattern with quality of life scores (SNOT-22), nasal endoscopy score (Lund-Kennedy), and degree of clinical control of the disease. In parallel, we will evaluate the presence of genomic markers of antibiotic resistance in the sequenced samples, and their possible clinical impact. The aim of this study is to identify the relation between the sinonasal microbiome with clinical parameters of patients with CRS, in the attempt to identify possible prognostic factors of this disease. (AU)