Abstract
Olfactory impairment affects ~ 20% of the population and has been linked to various serious disorders. Microbes in the nasal cavity play a key role in priming the physiology of the olfactory epithelium and maintaining a normal sense of smell by the host. The aim of this study was to explore the link between olfactory dysfunction and nasal bacterial communities. A total of 162 subjects were recruited for this study from a specialized olfactory dysfunction clinic and placed into one of three groups: anosmia, hyposmia or normosmia. Swabs from the nasal middle meatus were collected from each subject then processed for bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. No overall differences in bacterial diversity or composition were observed between the three cohorts in this study. However, the relative abundances of Corynebacterium spp. and Streptococcus spp. were significantly (p < 0.05) different in subjects with olfactory loss. Furthermore, subjects with deficiencies in discriminating between smells (based on discrimination scores) had a lower bacterial diversity (Simpson’s evenness p < 0.05). While these results are preliminary in nature, potential bacterial biomarkers for olfactory loss were identified. These findings need to be further validated and biologically tested in animal models.
Highlights
Olfactory impairment affects ~ 20% of the population and has been linked to various serious disorders
Adjustments of false-discovery rates were made during statistical analysis of relative abundance of microbial amplicon sequence variants (ASV) between the three cohorts
We explored the link between olfactory function and sinonasal bacterial community composition
Summary
Olfactory impairment affects ~ 20% of the population and has been linked to various serious disorders. Subjects with deficiencies in discriminating between smells (based on discrimination scores) had a lower bacterial diversity (Simpson’s evenness p < 0.05) While these results are preliminary in nature, potential bacterial biomarkers for olfactory loss were identified. One recent study compared the sinonasal bacterial composition between healthy subjects with hyposmia (n = 10), normosmia (n = 28), and slightly higher olfactory function (n = 29). Evidence for the potential link between oral and nasal microorganisms, the olfactory bulb (as an entry zone from the nasal cavity to the brain) and neurological diseases is increasing[12,13].
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