Air pollution-associated shifts in the human airway microbiome and exposure-associated molecular events.

The community of bacteria, viruses and fungi in the human body, known as the microbiome, plays an important role in human health. These communities vary in different locations in the body, for example in the gut, airways and skin. The microbiome within our airways is affected by air pollution because pollutants cause changes in the microbiome that may result in illness. In this article we review the available information on the effect of air pollution on the airway microbiome. We conclude that improving air quality is important to promoting healthy microbiomes and general human health.