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UMD TCORS: Exploring Tobacco Microbial Constituents and the Oral Microbiome of Tobacco Users

Principal Investigator: Amy Sapkota and Emmanuel Mongodin

Funding Mechanism: National Institutes of Health- TCORS Grant

ID number: 1P50CA180523-01

Award Date: 9/18/2013

Institution: University of Maryland 

Tobacco microbial constituents may play significant roles in the development of infectious and chronic diseases among tobacco users, yet data regarding the microbial constituents of tobacco and smoke and their associated adverse health effects is lacking. This project will evaluate tobacco microbial constituents and characterize the oral microbiome of tobacco users. Specific aims are: (1) to explore the bacterial microbiome of conventional, new and manipulated smoked and smokeless tobacco products and smoke, and examine the role of tobacco-specific N-nitrosamine formation, in laboratory-based time-course experiments; (2) to gather novel baseline data on the composition of the oral microbiome and its associated expressed activities in 24 smokers, 24 smokeless tobacco users and 24 non-users (aged 18-35) in a longitudinal study involving self-administered tobacco use questionnaires and buccal swabs and saliva samples (enabling an analysis of nicotine and cotinine); and (3) to characterize the transient changes (i.e., bacterial community composition, expressed metabolic activities) in the oral microbiome after single use of new and manipulated smoked and smokeless tobacco products, in crossover trials of 20 users (aged 18 and older). These data may improve scientific knowledge of the role that tobacco bacterial communities may play in the development of both acute infectious diseases and chronic diseases, and could inform potential new tobacco standards that would address the public health implications associated with the microbial constituents of tobacco.

Rapid Response Characterization of New and Manipulated Tobacco Products (TCORS) Related Resources