Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in Firefighters and the Potential Contributing Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Based on a Case-Control Study
Epidemiological studies show firefighters have increased risks of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. To explore links between occupational/environmental exposures and dysbiosis-associated health risks, this case-control study compared oral microbiota of age-matched firefighters (n = 13) a...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1154 |
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| author | Sukanta S. Bhattacharya Brijesh Yadav Roman Jandarov William A. Jetter Jagjit S. Yadav |
| author_facet | Sukanta S. Bhattacharya Brijesh Yadav Roman Jandarov William A. Jetter Jagjit S. Yadav |
| author_sort | Sukanta S. Bhattacharya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Epidemiological studies show firefighters have increased risks of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. To explore links between occupational/environmental exposures and dysbiosis-associated health risks, this case-control study compared oral microbiota of age-matched firefighters (n = 13) and non-firefighters (n = 13) using next-generation sequencing. Firefighters exhibited significantly reduced overall microbial diversity (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) and compositional shifts. Firmicutes increased from 53.5% to 68.5%, and Bacteroidetes from 9.5% to 14.1%, while Proteobacteria decreased from 24.6% to 8.3%, and Fusobacteria from 3.3% to 1.1%. This resulted in a higher Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio (5.63 vs. 4.89 in controls), indicating a pro-inflammatory oral microenvironment. At the family level, Streptococcaceae (45.1% to 60.3%) and Prevotellaceae (6.2% to 10.0%) increased, whereas Neisseriaceae (17.7% to 4.9%) and Fusobacteriaceae (2.1% to 0.8%) decreased. The genus <i>Streptococcus</i> dominated firefighters’ microbiota, rising from 45.1% to 60.3%. Diversity indices confirmed reduced microbial evenness and richness in firefighters. Metadata analysis linked frequent fire exposures to perturbations in Comamonadaceae and Carnobacteriaceae (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). Barbecue consumption, a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, correlated with elevated Spirochaetaceae and Peptostreptococcaceae. This first report on oral dysbiosis in firefighters reveals significant alterations in microbiota abundance, diversity, and evenness, implying potential health risks for this group. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj-art-e463c402998c4b2cafc50fa8877a79da2025-08-20T03:47:57ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-05-01135115410.3390/microorganisms13051154Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in Firefighters and the Potential Contributing Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Based on a Case-Control StudySukanta S. Bhattacharya0Brijesh Yadav1Roman Jandarov2William A. Jetter3Jagjit S. Yadav4Pulmonary Pathogenesis and Immunotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USAPulmonary Pathogenesis and Immunotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USADepartment of Biostatistics, Health Informatics & Data Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USAThe Monroe Fire Department, Cincinnati Metropolitan Area, Monroe, OH 45050, USAPulmonary Pathogenesis and Immunotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USAEpidemiological studies show firefighters have increased risks of cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. To explore links between occupational/environmental exposures and dysbiosis-associated health risks, this case-control study compared oral microbiota of age-matched firefighters (n = 13) and non-firefighters (n = 13) using next-generation sequencing. Firefighters exhibited significantly reduced overall microbial diversity (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) and compositional shifts. Firmicutes increased from 53.5% to 68.5%, and Bacteroidetes from 9.5% to 14.1%, while Proteobacteria decreased from 24.6% to 8.3%, and Fusobacteria from 3.3% to 1.1%. This resulted in a higher Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio (5.63 vs. 4.89 in controls), indicating a pro-inflammatory oral microenvironment. At the family level, Streptococcaceae (45.1% to 60.3%) and Prevotellaceae (6.2% to 10.0%) increased, whereas Neisseriaceae (17.7% to 4.9%) and Fusobacteriaceae (2.1% to 0.8%) decreased. The genus <i>Streptococcus</i> dominated firefighters’ microbiota, rising from 45.1% to 60.3%. Diversity indices confirmed reduced microbial evenness and richness in firefighters. Metadata analysis linked frequent fire exposures to perturbations in Comamonadaceae and Carnobacteriaceae (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). Barbecue consumption, a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, correlated with elevated Spirochaetaceae and Peptostreptococcaceae. This first report on oral dysbiosis in firefighters reveals significant alterations in microbiota abundance, diversity, and evenness, implying potential health risks for this group.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1154firefightersoral microbiomedysbiosisoccupational exposurecancerPAHs |
| spellingShingle | Sukanta S. Bhattacharya Brijesh Yadav Roman Jandarov William A. Jetter Jagjit S. Yadav Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in Firefighters and the Potential Contributing Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Based on a Case-Control Study Microorganisms firefighters oral microbiome dysbiosis occupational exposure cancer PAHs |
| title | Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in Firefighters and the Potential Contributing Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Based on a Case-Control Study |
| title_full | Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in Firefighters and the Potential Contributing Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Based on a Case-Control Study |
| title_fullStr | Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in Firefighters and the Potential Contributing Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Based on a Case-Control Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in Firefighters and the Potential Contributing Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Based on a Case-Control Study |
| title_short | Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in Firefighters and the Potential Contributing Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Based on a Case-Control Study |
| title_sort | oral microbiota dysbiosis in firefighters and the potential contributing environmental and lifestyle factors based on a case control study |
| topic | firefighters oral microbiome dysbiosis occupational exposure cancer PAHs |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/5/1154 |
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