Respiratory Microbiome of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: A Pilot Study from the Republic of Korea

Abstract

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections. Several studies have explored the potential role of the lung microbiome as a biomarker for identifying and predicting the prognosis of VAP. However, research on the respiratory microbiome in individuals with VAP caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) remains limited. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the respiratory microbiome of patients with CRAB VAP. Respiratory specimens were collected from patients who developed CRAB VAP. Microbiome diversity and composition were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. Patients were categorized into two groups based on mortality outcomes: intensive care unit (ICU) mortality or 28-day mortality after ICU discharge. Twenty patients with CRAB VAP were enrolled, including nine in the mortality group. No significant differences were observed in alpha-diversity indices between the study groups. However, multivariable Firth's logistic regression revealed a significant association between a relative abundance of the Enterococcus genus >= 1% and mortality outcomes (odds ratio: 0.06; 95% confidence interval: 0.00-0.771; p = 0.029). This study characterized the respiratory microbiome of patients with CRAB VAP and highlighted the potential role of microbiome analysis in predicting disease prognosis. Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to validate these findings.