Oral Microbiota Dysbiosis in Firefighters and the Potential Contributing Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Based on a Case-Control Study

Details

• Journal Article:
  Microorganisms
• Personal Author:
  Bhattacharya, Sukanta S. ; Yadav, Brijesh ; Jandarov, Roman ; Jetter, William A. ; Yadav, Jagjit S.
• 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 (p ≤ 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 Streptococcus 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 (p ≤ 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.
• Subjects:
  • Firefighters
  • Microbiology
  • Neoplasms
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Occupational Health
  • Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
  • Safety
• Keywords:
  • Fire fighters; Occupational exposure; Environmental exposure; Microbiology; Bacteria; Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons; PAH; Cancer;
  • Author Keywords: firefighters; oral microbiome; dysbiosis; occupational exposure; cancer; PAHs
• Source:
  Microorganisms 2025 May; 13(5):1154
• ISSN:
  2076-2607
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; Chicago Region OSHA
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  16 pdf pages
• Volume:
  13
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071443
• Contact Point Address:
  Jagjit S. Yadav, Pulmonary Pathogenesis and Immunotoxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
• Email:
  yadavjs@ucmail.uc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20260630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259042/cdc_259042_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.37 MB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cfbc7e749162a0c842db0b800dd971c579be37b97c315f94857cb650784ec413a4af1dda6d81e63dfff5e0885690c686c18e7d334a1ef1dcf39ece1515f77fe8