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Indoor microbial communities: Influence on asthma severity in atopic and nonatopic children

Karen C Dannemiller1, Janneane F Gent2, Brian P Leaderer2

  • 1Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|February 8, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Childhood asthma severity is linked to household microbes. Specific fungal and bacterial exposures in house dust impact asthma, with differing effects based on allergic status.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental microbiology
  • Pediatric allergy
  • Respiratory medicine

Background:

  • Childhood asthma severity can be influenced by microbial exposures, both allergic and nonallergic.
  • Understanding these microbial associations is crucial for managing pediatric asthma.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between household microbial exposures and childhood asthma severity.
  • To stratify these associations based on the atopic status of children with asthma.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 196 children with asthma was analyzed, categorized by severity and atopic status.
  • House dust samples were analyzed for microbial community structure and concentration using DNA sequencing and qPCR.
  • Logistic regression and statistical tests were employed to assess associations between microbial exposures and asthma severity.

Main Results:

  • Increased asthma severity correlated with higher concentrations of allergenic fungi, total fungi, and bacterial richness.
  • Atopic children showed associations between asthma severity and fungal community composition, while non-atopic children linked severity to total fungal concentration.
  • Specific fungal genera, Volutella, Kondoa, and Cryptococcus, were associated with asthma severity or potential protective effects.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood asthma severity is associated with specific microbial exposures in the home environment.
  • The impact of microbial exposures on asthma severity differs significantly between atopic and non-atopic children.
Abstract

Keywords:
AllergyDNA sequencingasthma severityatopybacteriachildrenfungiindoor environmentmicrobial communitiesnonallergic asthma

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