Microbiomics Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Paediatric Emergency Unit, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Aug 23;13:1193113. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1193113. eCollection 2023.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and hospitalization in infants worldwide. The nasopharyngeal microbiota has been suggested to play a role in influencing the clinical course of RSV bronchiolitis, and some evidence has been provided regarding oral and gut microbiota. However, most studies have focused on a single timepoint, and none has investigated all three ecosystems at once.
Here, we simultaneously reconstructed the gut, oral and nasopharyngeal microbiota dynamics of 19 infants with RSV bronchiolitis in relation to the duration of hospitalization (more or less than 5 days). Fecal samples, oral swabs, and nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected at three timepoints (emergency room admission, discharge and six-month follow-up) and profiled by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.
Interestingly, all ecosystems underwent rearrangements over time but with distinct configurations depending on the clinical course of bronchiolitis. In particular, infants hospitalized for longer showed early and persistent signatures of unhealthy microbiota in all ecosystems, i.e., an increased representation of pathobionts and a depletion of typical age-predicted commensals.
Monitoring infant microbiota during RSV bronchiolitis and promptly reversing any dysbiotic features could be important for prognosis and long-term health.
呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）是全球婴幼儿毛细支气管炎和住院治疗的最常见原因。鼻咽微生物群已被认为在影响 RSV 毛细支气管炎的临床病程中发挥作用，并且已经提供了一些关于口腔和肠道微生物群的证据。然而，大多数研究都集中在单个时间点，没有一项研究同时调查这三个生态系统。
在这里，我们同时重建了 19 名患有 RSV 毛细支气管炎的婴儿的肠道、口腔和鼻咽微生物群动态，与住院时间（超过或少于 5 天）有关。在三个时间点（急诊室入院、出院和六个月随访）采集粪便样本、口腔拭子和鼻咽抽吸物，并通过 16S rRNA 扩增子测序进行分析。
有趣的是，所有生态系统都随着时间的推移而发生了重组，但由于毛细支气管炎的临床病程不同，其配置也不同。特别是住院时间较长的婴儿在所有生态系统中均表现出早期和持续的不健康微生物群特征，即病原体的代表性增加和典型年龄预测共生菌的减少。
在 RSV 毛细支气管炎期间监测婴儿的微生物群，并及时纠正任何生态失调特征，可能对预后和长期健康很重要。
