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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
Lower airway microbiome of children with recurrent wheezing: a clinical cohort study
Lei Zhang1, Tao Ai1, Cheng Xie1
1Department of Pediatric Pulmonology, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
Insights
Recurrent wheezing in children is linked to significant changes in lower airway bacteria. Identifying beneficial microbes could lead to new treatments for wheezing and asthma.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Genomics
Background:
- Recurrent wheezing is a common and increasing respiratory symptom in children, particularly infants.
- Understanding the lower airway microbiome is crucial for diagnosis and treatment of pediatric recurrent wheezing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the lower airway microbiota in children with recurrent wheezing.
- To identify potential microbial biomarkers for clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies.
Main Methods:
- Compared lower airway microbiota of 32 children with recurrent wheezing (Group A) to 23 children with foreign body aspiration (Group B).
- Utilized 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) DNA.
- Employed Illumina Nova Seq 6000 for microbiome sequencing.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in gestational duration, delivery mode, and allergy status between groups.
- Marked differences in lower airway microbial diversity and composition were observed (P=0.0095).
- Enrichment of Proteobacteria and depletion of Bacteroidota, Fusobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota were noted in recurrent wheezing patients.
Conclusions:
- Recurrent wheezing in children is associated with significant alterations in the lower airway microbiota.
- Discovery of specific airway bacteria may aid in the prevention and treatment of recurrent wheezing and childhood asthma.
Background:
Wheezing is one of the most common respiratory symptoms in childhood especially in infants. In recent years, the incidence of recurrent wheezing is on the rise worldwide. To investigate the lower airway microbiota in patients with recurrent wheezing and provide insights into clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Methods:
This study initially enrolled 45 hospitalised children with recurrent wheezing symptoms awaiting complete fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Of these, 13 children with tracheobronchomalacia were excluded. The final population included 32 participants (group A). The control group comprised 23 children who inhaled a foreign body and were admitted to the hospital for fiberoptic bronchoscopy within 24 hours (group B). Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and amplified for the 16S ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid (rRNA) gene, and sequencing of the microbiome was performed using the Illumina Nova Seq 6000 system.
Results:
There were significant differences in the gestational duration (P=0.0458), mode of delivery (P=0.0261), and allergy status (P=0.0000) between groups A and B, but they had similar richness (P=0.8574). There was also a marked difference in the diversity of flora composition between the two groups (P=0.0095). The three most common phyla of microbiota in the two groups were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. Species with notably different phyla included Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, Fusobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota. There was a significant enrichment in the of Proteobacteria and lower levels of Bacteroidota, Fusobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota in group A compared to that in group B.
Conclusions:
Significant changes occur in the lower airway microbiota during recurrent wheezing in children. The discovery of beneficial airway bacteria may facilitate the prevention and treatment of recurrent wheezing or asthma in children.
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