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Moraxella occupied the largest proportion in the nasal microbiome in healthy children, which potential protect them
Xia Yu1, Li Wang1, XueMei Zheng2
1Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, PR China.
Insights
Moraxella in the nasal microbiome may protect children from COVID-19. Children
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- COVID-19 symptoms vary between children and adults.
- Understanding upper respiratory tract microbiome differences is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- Compare nasal and throat microbiome profiles in healthy children and adults.
- Identify potential microbiome biomarkers for COVID-19 protection in children.
Main Methods:
- 16S rDNA sequencing of nasal and throat swabs from 30 children and 24 adults.
- Analysis of alpha and beta diversity.
- Assessment of functional pathways and microbiome biomarkers.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in nasal microbiome composition between children and adults.
- Moraxella was predominant in children's nasal microbiomes.
- Children's microbiomes showed enrichment in amino acid and lipid metabolism pathways.
Conclusions:
- Moraxella may play a protective role against COVID-19 in children.
- Metabolic pathways, including amino acid and lipid metabolism, are implicated in children's upper respiratory tract.
Background:
In the prevalence of COVID-19, infection symptoms are different in children and adults. In this study to investigate the differences in the upper respiratory tract microbiome profile between healthy children and adults and to explore which microbiome protect them from COVID-19.
Methods:
Thirty healthy children and 24 healthy adults were enrolled between October 2020 and January 2021. Nasal and throat swabs were obtained at enrollment, and DNA was extracted. We performed 16S rDNA sequencing to compare the alpha and beta diversity of the nasal and throat microbiomes between children and adults and assessed potential microbiome biomarkers.
Results:
In the nasal microbiome, there were significant differences between healthy children and adults, and Moraxella occupied the largest proportion in healthy children. Notably, there was no significant difference between healthy children and adults in the throat microbiome, and it was predominated by Firmicutes. In the function analysis, compared with adults, there was increased enrichment in pathways related to amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism, in children.
Conclusions:
In the upper respiratory tract microbiome profiles, Moraxella may be involved in protecting children from COVID-19 infections and may be involved the amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism.
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