Microbiome balance in sputum determined by PCR stratifies COPD exacerbations and shows potential for selective use of antibiotics

• Koirobi Haldar,

  Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

  Affiliation Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Mona Bafadhel,

  Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft

  Current address: Respiratory Medicine Unit, Nuffield Dep’t of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

  Affiliations Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom, Institute for Lung Health, Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Glenfield Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Kelvin Lau,

  Roles Formal analysis, Methodology, Software, Writing – original draft

  Current address: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

  Affiliations Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom, Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Adam Berg,

  Roles Methodology, Writing – original draft

  Affiliations Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom, Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Brenda Kwambana,

  Roles Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft

  Current address: Vaccinology Theme, Medical Research Council Unit, Fajara, The Gambia

  Affiliation Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Tatiana Kebadze,

  Roles Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft

  Affiliation Airway Disease Infection Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Mohammadali Yavari Ramsheh,

  Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Software, Writing – original draft

  Affiliation Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Bethan Barker,

  Roles Investigation, Writing – original draft

  Affiliations Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom, Institute for Lung Health, Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Glenfield Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Pranabashis Haldar,

  Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

  Affiliations Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom, Institute for Lung Health, Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Glenfield Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Sebastian Johnston,

  Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – original draft

  Affiliation Airway Disease Infection Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Julian M. Ketley,

  Roles Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – original draft

  Affiliation Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Christopher E. Brightling,

  Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

  Affiliations Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom, Institute for Lung Health, Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Glenfield Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom, Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯
• Michael R. Barer

  Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Project administration, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

  * E-mail: mrb19@le.ac.uk

  Affiliations Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom, Institute for Lung Health, Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, Glenfield Hospital, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom, Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, United Kingdom

  ⨯