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Published on: June 11, 2011
Alterations of the Upper Respiratory Microbiome Among Children Living With HIV Infection in Botswana
Sweta M Patel1,2, John Farirai3, Mohamed Z Patel4
1Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Insights
Children living with HIV (CLWH) have altered upper respiratory microbiomes, increasing their risk for respiratory infections. Lower levels of protective Corynebacterium species were observed in CLWH.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Children living with HIV (CLWH) face a higher risk of respiratory infections.
- The upper respiratory microbiome may play a role in protecting against pathogens.
- The impact of HIV on the pediatric upper respiratory microbiome is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between HIV infection and the nasopharyngeal microbiome in Batswana children.
- To identify specific microbial alterations in children living with HIV.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 143 Batswana children under 5 years old.
- Comparison of nasopharyngeal microbiomes between children living with HIV (CLWH), HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU), and HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU) children.
- Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze microbiome composition.
Main Results:
- HIV infection and immunosuppression were linked to significant changes in nasopharyngeal microbiome composition.
- A lower abundance of Corynebacterium species was observed in CLWH.
- Corynebacterium species are associated with resistance to bacterial pathogen colonization.
Conclusions:
- The nasopharyngeal microbiome is altered in children living with HIV.
- These microbiome alterations, particularly reduced Corynebacterium, may contribute to increased respiratory infection susceptibility in CLWH.
- Further research into the pediatric upper respiratory microbiome in HIV is warranted.
Abstract:
Children living with HIV (CLWH) are at high risk of colonization and infection by respiratory pathogens, though this risk can be reduced by other microbes in the upper respiratory microbiome. The impact of HIV infection on the pediatric upper respiratory microbiome is poorly understood, and we sought to address this knowledge gap by identifying associations between HIV infection and the nasopharyngeal microbiomes of Batswana children. We enrolled Batswana CLWH (<5 years) and age- and sex-matched HIV-exposed, uninfected and HIV-unexposed, uninfected children in a cross-sectional study. We used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to compare nasopharyngeal microbiomes by HIV status. Among the 143 children in this study, HIV and HIV-associated immunosuppression were associated with alterations in nasopharyngeal microbiome composition, including lower abundances of Corynebacterium species associated with resistance to bacterial pathogen colonization. These findings suggest that the upper respiratory microbiome may contribute to the high risk of respiratory infections among CLWH.
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