Researchers have detected a wide range of nucleic acids in Exhaled Breath Condensate (EBC).  DNA and RNA can derive from infectious pathogens, benign microbes in the lung microbiome, extracellular vesicles and other sources.  While targeted approaches such as PCR and LAMP can sensitively and rapidly detect known targets, they are not suitable for discovering unknown nucleic acid sequences.

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Several strategies are suitable to detect and identify unknown targets in EBC, generally relying on sequencing any present nucleic acids.  Metagenomic and transcriptomic approaches have been used to identify DNA and mRNA from breath, providing insights into the microbiome of the lungs as well as gene regulation.  Further applications of these techniques will continue to drive discoveries in pulmonary health.