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Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Rhinovirus Bronchiolitis Are Associated With Distinct Metabolic Pathways

Christopher J Stewart1,2, Kohei Hasegawa3, Matthew C Wong1,2

  • 1Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Houston, Texas.

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|January 3, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Bronchiolitis in infants presents differently based on the virus. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus (RV) infections show distinct metabolic and microbiome profiles, impacting disease presentation and future treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiome Research
  • Metabolomics

Background:

  • Bronchiolitis is a common cause of infant hospitalization in the US.
  • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus (RV) are primary viral causes.
  • Bronchiolitis is often perceived as a single disease entity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate differences in metabolomic and microbiome profiles between RSV-only and RV-only infant bronchiolitis.
  • To explore the multi-omic associations between viral infection, bacterial microbiome, and metabolic function.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 106 infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis (RSV-only or RV-only).
  • Analysis of nasopharyngeal aspirates using metabolomics, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and metagenomic sequencing.
  • Comparative analysis of metabolome and microbiome profiles based on viral etiology.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in nasopharyngeal metabolome and bacterial metagenome profiles were observed between RSV-only and RV-only infections.
  • RSV-only infections were linked to diverse metabolic pathways and a microbiome dominated by Streptococcus pneumoniae.
  • RV-only infections were associated with increased N-acetyl amino acids and a microbiome rich in Haemophilus influenzae.

Conclusions:

  • Bronchiolitis exhibits distinct characteristics depending on whether it is caused by RSV or RV.
  • These findings challenge the view of bronchiolitis as a uniform disease.
  • Understanding these differences has implications for future prevention and treatment strategies.
Abstract

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