ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Manikandan Sathiyaseelan1, Pradeep Jothimani2, Mashila Arasan2, Pajanivel Ranganadin3, Balanehru Subramanian4, Richa Gupta1 and Nikhilesh Singh1
1Department of Physiology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-be-University), Pillaiyarkuppam, Puducherry, India.
2Department of Microbiology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical Advanced Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-be-University), Puducherry, India.
3Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-be-University), Pillaiyarkuppam, Puducherry, India.
4School of Biomedical Sciences, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed-to-be-University), Pillaiyarkuppam, Puducherry, India.
Article Number: 10863 | © The Author(s). 2025
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2025;19(4):2912-2922. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.19.4.30
Received: 11 August 2025 | Accepted: 16 October 2025 | Published online: 27 November 2025
Issue online: December 2025
Abstract

Tobacco-related diseases are the foremost cause of death globally. This research investigates the impact of smoking on lung function and the colonization of respiratory pathogens in asymptomatic smokers. Forty male smokers and forty age-matched non-smoker controls aged between 25-45 years were recruited. Nicotine dependence was evaluated using the Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence questionnaire, while cumulative tobacco consumption was measured in pack-years. Pulmonary function test (PFT) was performed and morning sputum samples were collected for the molecular detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis using the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. PFT parameters  FVC (L), FEV1 (L), FEV1/FVC%, PEFR (L/m) and FER25-75% (L/s) were lower in smokers when compared to controls. H. influenzae was detected in 65% of smokers and 20% of controls, whereas S. pneumoniae was detected in 57.5% of smokers and 12.5% of controls. M. catarrhalis was detected 5% in only smokers. After sequencing, the identified virulent H. influenzae strain SC50876 was found in smokers. Through the application of multiple regression analysis, it was found that there are significant negative correlations between H. influenzae and both FVC and PEFR in individuals who smoke. This study provides novel evidence that smoking impairs lung function and promotes early colonization of the lower respiratory tract by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis, particularly the virulent H. influenzae strain SC50876. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant negative association between bacterial presence and FVC and PEFR in asymptomatic smokers, suggesting that such colonization may accelerate functional decline and contribute to the early development of respiratory disease in otherwise asymptomatic individuals.

Keywords

Pulmonary Function Test, Nicotine Dependence, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Smokers

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© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.