Impact of Dust Storms on Airborne Bacteria, Heavy Metals, and Inflammatory Markers in Asthmatic Patients

Asthma, a chronic bronchial disorder prevalent in children/adolescents, is exacerbated under environmental conditions like dust storms. The current study investigated heavy metal levels, airborne bacteria, and serum IL-4/IL-8 in asthmatics during before/after dust storms in Iraq's Al-Anbar, Baghdad, and Kirkuk provinces. Airborne heavy metals were quantified by ICP-MS, serum cytokines by ELISA, and bacterial communities via metagenomics. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism (p < 0.05 significant). ICP-MS revealed considerably elevated post-storm concentrations of As, Ag, B, Ba, Co, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Sn, S, Ti, and V. Asthmatic subjects presented with considerably elevated IL-4 and IL-8 post-storm (p < 0.05) compared to controls (p > 0.05). Metagenomics revealed storm-induced bacterial alterations: Al-Anbar contained elevated Burkholderiaceae, Methylophilaceae, and Rhodobacteraceae; Kirkuk contained elevated Ilumatobacteraceae, Microbacteriaceae, Burkholderiaceae, and Rhodobacteraceae. Baghdad's most prevalent species included Rhodocyclaceae (50%), Burkholderiaceae (17%), and Arcobacteraceae (4.5%). Al-Anbar was significantly richer in microbes (Chao1) and more diverse (Shannon) than other regions following the dust storm (p < 0.0001). These findings indicate that dust storms raise heavy metals, alter airborne bacteria, and increase inflammatory cytokines in asthma sufferers, and these emphasize their role in exacerbating asthma in Iraq.