Abstract:

Objective To explore the alterations of sputum microbiota in newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients during the conventional anti⁃tuberculosis chemotherapy. Methods In this study，16S rRNA gene sequencing was used in 103 sputum samples（V4⁃V5 region）to characterize the diversity and composition of sputum microbiota caused by standard anti ⁃ TB treatment with isoniazid ⁃ rifampin ⁃ pyrazinamide ⁃ ethambutol （HRZE）. Results HRZE treatment could alter taxonomic compositions and overall diversity of sputum microbiota of TB patients. After routine anti⁃TB chemotherapy，Shannon，Chao 1 and Observed_OTUs indexes of sputum flora declined significantly，and the species richness declined more significantly with the extension of treatment time. PERMANOVA analysis showed that there were significant differences in the structure of the bacteria in the untreat⁃ ed group and the treated groups. Furthermore，there was a significant increase of family Veillonellacea，its genera Veillonella and species veillonella dispar post treatment，indicating that they may be a potential markers for evaluating TB treatment. Conclusions TB treatment with HRZE can disrupt sputum microbiotas in patients. Some specific genera are depleted or enriched post treatment，providing potential biomarkers for evaluating the treatment efficacy.

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