Microbial Ecological Instability And Non-Linear Host Interactions Shape Airway Inflammation In HIV-Associated COPD [RNA-seq]

We performed multi-omics profiling in adults from rural Uganda stratified by their HIV and COPD status, integrating sputum microbiome sequencing, outer membrane vesicle quantification, cytokine profiling, cytometry by time-of flight immunophenotyping, and bulk and single-cell transcriptomics with bronchoalveolar lavage-guided deconvolution.

Temporal ecological dynamics predominantly shaped airway microbial structure, although disease-modified instability patterns, particularly Haemophilus enrichment and altered trajectories of Staphylococcus, Gemella, and Moraxella, were detectable in HIV+/COPD+ individuals. In contrast, host immune phenotypes showed disease-linked remodeling: HIV and COPD were associated with activation of NF-κB, IL-17, chemokine, TLR, NOD, and antiviral pathways and with compartment-specific transcriptional shifts across sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage, and blood.