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Analysis of Intestinal and Nasopharyngeal Microbiota of Children with Meningococcemia in Pediatric Intensive Care

Gurkan Bozan1, Vicente Pérez-Brocal2,3, Kaan Aslan4

  • 1Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir 26040, Turkey.

Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 28, 2023
PubMed

Insights

This study reveals significant differences in gut and nasopharyngeal microbiota for children with invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). These changes may be linked to the infection or treatments, impacting disease understanding.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Microbiota composition is increasingly recognized for its role in sepsis pathophysiology.
  • Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a severe community-acquired infection, yet its association with microbiota in children remains unexplored.
  • Understanding these dynamics is crucial for clinical insights into meningococcemia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the intestinal and nasopharyngeal microbiota composition in children diagnosed with IMD.
  • To compare the microbiota of IMD patients with age-matched healthy controls.
  • To analyze changes in microbiota during hospitalization.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective, multi-center study involving 10 children with meningococcemia and 10 healthy controls.
  • Collection of nasopharyngeal and fecal samples at admission and on day 10.
  • 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V3-V4 regions) for microbiota analysis.

Main Results:

  • Significantly lower alpha diversity (Shannon index) in IMD patients compared to controls at admission and day 10 (p=0.002, p=0.001).
  • Distinct differences in fecal microbiota composition between IMD patients and controls (Bray-Curtis, Jaccard analyses; p=0.005, p=0.001).
  • Increased abundance of *Neisseria* in nasopharynx of IMD patients at admission (p<0.001); decreased *Moraxella* and *Neisseria* by day 10. Significant shifts in other genera observed over time.

Conclusions:

  • First evidence of altered intestinal and nasopharyngeal microbiota in children with IMD.
  • Both infection and medical interventions contribute to microbiota alterations during hospitalization.
  • Further research into microbiota-pathogen interactions, like with *N. meningitidis*, can elucidate disease mechanisms.
Keywords:
Neisseria meningitidischildrengut microbiotameningococcalnasopharyngeal microbiotasepsis

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