DISCOVER MAGAZINE - When it comes to the microbiome, researchers have extensive knowledge of the microbial community living in our guts. The lungs, however, are a different story. While it may sound odd, microbes do live in our lungs, and breathing in certain substances, like certain dust, can cause harm to the lung microbiome.
A new study in mSphere examines how dust from the evaporating Salton Sea in California — a saline, landlocked lake — may be irritating the microbes in the lungs and altering the immune response.
The Lung Microbiome
Though researchers know much more about the gut microbiome than the microbes in the lungs, they still believe the lung microbiome is beneficial to our health. While genetic factors or bacterial infections can contribute to a weakened lung microbiome, researchers from the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside) have found, for the first time, that environmental exposures can also have adverse effects.