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Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
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Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children

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Early respiratory microbiota composition determines bacterial succession patterns and respiratory health in children

Giske Biesbroek1, Evgeni Tsivtsivadze, Elisabeth A M Sanders

  • 11 Department of Pediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
|October 21, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Early infant respiratory microbiota profiles, identified by 1.5 months, predict future respiratory health. Stable profiles with Moraxella and Corynebacterium are linked to fewer infections.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pediatrics
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Respiratory infections are common in children, often caused by bacteria residing in the respiratory tract.
  • Understanding early-life colonization and microbiota stability is key to identifying factors influencing respiratory health and disease susceptibility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the succession of the respiratory microbiota during the first two years of life.
  • To examine the relationship between early-life respiratory microbiota profiles and subsequent respiratory health characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • 16S-based pyrosequencing was used to characterize upper respiratory microbiota in 60 healthy children at 1.5, 6, 12, and 24 months.
  • Machine-learning algorithms identified consecutive microbiota profiles, with findings validated in an additional cohort of 140 children per age group.

Main Results:

  • Eight distinct upper respiratory microbiota profiles were identified in healthy infants, detectable as early as 1.5 months.
  • Stable profiles, characterized by early Moraxella and Corynebacterium/Dolosigranulum abundance, correlated positively with breastfeeding and fewer reported respiratory infections.
  • Less stable profiles were associated with a higher abundance of Haemophilus or Streptococcus.

Conclusions:

  • Early-life respiratory microbiota profiles offer insights into microbial succession and are linked to microbiota stability and respiratory health outcomes in infants.
  • These findings suggest potential for early diagnosis and prevention strategies for respiratory infections based on infant microbiota composition.
Abstract

Keywords:
childrenmicrobial communitiesmicrobiotarespiratory tractsuccession

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