Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
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Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels

Published on: August 7, 2017

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Airway microbiota and acute respiratory infection in children

Kohei Hasegawa1, Carlos A Camargo

  • 1From the Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Expert Review of Clinical Immunology
|May 12, 2015
PubMed

Insights

The airway microbiota influences infant respiratory infection risk and severity. Modulating these microbes may optimize immunity and reduce hospitalizations in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric medicine
  • Microbiology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a primary cause of infant hospitalization in the US.
  • Traditional risk factors do not fully explain variations in ARI incidence and severity among children.
  • Molecular diagnostics reveal the significant role of the human microbiota in immune system development.

Discussion:

  • A 'risk and resilience' model is proposed, linking airway microbiota composition to ARI outcomes.
  • Specific 'risk microbiota' may increase ARI incidence/severity, while 'resilience microbiota' may decrease them.
  • Airway microbiota composition is a key, yet under-explored, factor in pediatric respiratory health.

Key Insights:

  • Airway microbiota composition is associated with increased or decreased risk and severity of ARIs in children.
  • The 'risk and resilience' model provides a framework for understanding host-microbe interactions in pediatric respiratory infections.
  • Early childhood is a critical window for potentially modulating airway microbiota.

Outlook:

  • Targeting and modulating airway microbiota presents a novel therapeutic strategy for preventing and treating pediatric ARIs.
  • Further research into specific microbial signatures and their functional roles is warranted.
  • Optimizing airway immunity through microbiota modulation could significantly reduce infant hospitalizations due to respiratory infections.

Keywords:
HaemophilusLactobacillaceaeMoraxellaacute respiratory infectionbronchiolitisimmune responsemicrobiomemicrobiotapneumoniaprobioticsvirus

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