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Updated: Jan 16, 2026
An In vitro Model to Study Immune Responses of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection
Published on: December 10, 2013
Distinct microbiome variation in children and adults following RSV infection and its association with host response
Qi Wang1, Yulin Zhang2, Xiaoxuan Yao3
1Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin Medical University, 246 Xuefu Road, Harbin, 150086, China; National Center for Respiratory Medicine; State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity; National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases; Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, 2 Yinghua Dongjie, Beijing, 100029, China.
Insights
Pediatric respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) patients show distinct pharyngeal microbiome changes and immune responses compared to adults. These differences in the respiratory microbiome may explain why children experience more severe RSV illness.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes more severe illness in children than adults.
- Differences in respiratory microbiota composition may underlie this disparity.
- The interplay between the pharyngeal microbiome and host immune response in pediatric RSV is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alterations in the pharyngeal microbiome of adult and pediatric RSV patients.
- To explore the relationship between these microbiome changes and the host immune response.
- To identify factors contributing to increased RSV pathogenicity in children.
Main Methods:
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing and transcriptome analysis of throat swabs.
- Comparison of pharyngeal microbiome and gene expression profiles in RSV patients (inpatients and outpatients), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients, and healthy controls.
- Correlation analysis between microbial abundance and host gene expression.
Main Results:
- Pediatric RSV inpatients had higher oral anaerobe abundance (Prevotella, Veillonella) than outpatients.
- Distinct pharyngeal microbiome differences were found in pediatric inpatients vs. outpatients, but not in adults.
- Pediatric inpatients showed more differential gene expression, linked to neutrophil pathways, compared to adults.
- Specific bacterial groups (Alphaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria) correlated with inflammatory gene expression (CXCL10, CXCL11) in pediatric inpatients.
Conclusions:
- Pharyngeal microbiome composition and host immune responses differ significantly between pediatric RSV inpatients and outpatients.
- These host-microbiome interactions, particularly involving neutrophil recruitment, may contribute to severe RSV disease in children.
- Findings offer insights into the increased pathogenicity of RSV in pediatric populations.
Abstract:
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalization rates are higher in children than in adults, which may be related to differences in respiratory microbiota composition. The relationship between differences in the pharyngeal microbiome and the host immune response in adults and children infected with RSV remains unclear. This study aims to investigate changes in the microbiota of RSV-infected adult and pediatric patients receiving inpatient and outpatient care, and to explore their relationship with the host immune response. A total of 223 participants were enrolled in the study, including 30 adult RSV patients, 92 pediatric RSV patients, 51 community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients, and 50 healthy controls. Throat swabs were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing and transcriptome analysis. We found that the abundance of oral anaerobes (Prevotella and Veillonella) was higher in pediatric inpatients compared to pediatric outpatients. Differences in pharyngeal microbiome composition were observed between pediatric inpatients and outpatients, while not in adult patients. More differentially expressed genes were observed between pediatric inpatients and outpatients than in adults, primarily related to neutrophil chemotaxis and migration pathways. Furthermore, Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria were positively correlated with the expression of CXCL10 and CXCL11 in pediatric inpatients, suggesting a potential link with neutrophil recruitment and inflammatory responses in these patients. Taken together, these findings improve our understanding of the associations between the host transcriptome and microbiome in the context of RSV infection, which may provide insights into factors related to the increased pathogenicity observed in children.
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