Fig. 3

The occupancy of the phylotypes of oral streptococci and anaerobes by the bacterial floral analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene according to aspiration risks and ECOG-PS. a and c represents the occupancy of the phylotypes of oral streptococci, and (b and d) shows the occupancy of phylotypes of anaerobes, according to aspiration risks (a and b) and ECOG-PS (c and d). Using the bacterial floral analysis of 16S rRNA gene in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, the occupancy rates of oral streptococci were significantly higher in patients with aspiration risks than those in patients without aspiration risks (P = 0.02) (a), and were also significantly higher in patients with ECOG-PS of ≥3 compared to those in patients with ECOG-PS of ≤2 (P < 0.001) (c). In contrast, the occupancy rates of anaerobes were significantly higher in patients without aspiration risks than those in patients with aspiration risks (P = 0.044) (b), and similar trend was observed in patients with ECOG-PS of ≥3 compared to those in patients with ECOG-PS of ≤2 (P = 0.085) (d). All members of the Streptococcus mutans and S. mitis groups, the S. salivarius group, and the S. anginosus group, were included as “oral streptococci” except for S. pneumoniae. Abbreviation: ECOG-PS; European Cooperative Oncology Group-Performance Status