| Inflammatory markers | 0 PPM (median (IQR)) | n | 1 PPM | n | 2 PPM | n | p Value* |
| CRP (g/dl) | 4.0 (2.0–7.8) | 69 | 4.9 (2.0–8.0) | 53 | 13.0 (6.0–22.0) | 9 | 0.01 |
| Serum IL6 (pg/ml) | 4.6 (2.9–8.3) | 77 | 5.3 (3.4–8.4) | 58 | 6.0 (5.2–10.1) | 15 | 0.26 |
CRP, C-reactive protein; IL, interleukin; PPM, potentially pathogenic microbe.
*Comparisons were made between sputum samples containing one or two PPMs using the Mann-Whitney U test.