Research The nasal microbiome influences our sense of smell

Complex Community: Researchers examine the nasal microbiome

People apparently have a much finer nose than was long assumed. She should be able to perceive up to a trillion odors. When the sense of smell is disturbed, the quality of life is severely impaired. Researchers from Austria have now dealt with the connection between the nasal microbiome and the sense of smell.

Disturbances of the sense of smell affect the quality of life

A few years ago researchers from the USA reported on their study, according to which the nose not only perceives 10,000 different odors, but also about one trillion (1,000,000,000,000) odors. However, if the olfactory cells do not work properly, you will lose a lot of quality of life. Disorders of the sense of smell mean a massive restriction in the everyday life of those affected. Scientists at the University of Graz and the Medical University of Graz have now dealt with the connection between the nasal microbiome and the sense of smell. The results currently published in the scientific journal "Scientific Reports" suggest that the microbiome composition correlates with the sense of smell.

Disturbances of the sense of smell mean a massive restriction in the everyday life of those affected. New studein results suggest that the microbiome composition correlates with the sense of smell. (Image: olly / fotolia.com)

Microbiome: A complex community

The totality of all the microorganisms colonizing the body is summarized under the term "microbiome", reports the Karl-Franzens-University Graz on its website.

For example, if there are many scientific studies on intestinal microbiome, relatively little is known about the microbiome of the nose. But why is microbiome research such an exciting subject for science??

"In medical research, the connection between the microbiome and the development of diseases is of particular interest," explains Univ.-Prof.in Dr.in Christine Moissl-Eichinger, Professor for Interactive Microbiome Research at the Medical University of Graz.

"The bacteria, fungi or other microbes associated with us can reflect their state of health, or even increase or decrease the risk of disease," says the expert.

It is quite possible that not a single genus of bacteria, but a combination or interaction of different germs for the development of diseases is relevant.

Composition of the microbiome influences the sense of smell

A well-functioning sense of smell plays a crucial role in personal quality of life. As scientific studies have shown, the microbiome is strongly involved in the development of the olfactory mucosa and thus of the olfactory function.

Together with Univ.-Prof. DI Dr. Veronika Schöpf, Professor of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychology, Karl-Franzens University Graz, Christine Moissl-Eichinger and her teams have examined this relationship in more detail.

"In a total of 67 healthy volunteers, we explored the relationship between the olfactory function and the nasal microbiome," describes Christine Moissl-Eichinger.

28 subjects had a normal olfactory function, 29 had a good sense of smell and ten subjects had a limited sense of smell.

As the two scientists observed, the composition of the nasal microbiome differed significantly within these three groups.

"In particular, we found that buttersäureproduzierende microorganisms can be associated with impaired olfactory function in particular," the researchers in unison.

On the basis of these findings, they suspect that there is a relationship between the microbial community in the olfactory mucosa and the olfactory function, or that the microbiome composition is able to directly influence the olfactory function.

The researchers will explore this relationship in more detail over the next few years. (Ad)