Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Cervicofacial Surgery, General Hospital Celje, Oblakova ulica 5, 3000, Celje, Slovenia.
Department for Microbiological Research, National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Prvomajska ulica 1, 2000, Maribor, Slovenia.
Folia Microbiol (Praha). 2024 Dec;69(6):1363-1368. doi: 10.1007/s12223-024-01174-z. Epub 2024 Jun 5.
Recurrent acute otitis media (rAOM) poses a significant challenge in children aged 1 to 6 years, characterized by frequent and treatment-resistant ear infections. While existing studies predominantly focus on alterations in the nasopharyngeal microbiome associated with rAOM, our research explores the understudied association with the gut microbiome. In this cross-sectional observational prospective study, we enrolled 35 children aged 1 to 6 years during the 2021/2022 cold season. The test group comprised children with rAOM (n = 16), and the control group consisted of generally healthy children (n = 19). Samples (stool and nasopharyngeal swabs) were collected in late spring to ensure an antibiotic-free period. Detailed metadata was gathered through a questionnaire examining factors potentially influencing microbiota. Microbiota composition was assessed through amplicon sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Our findings revealed limited alterations in gut microbiota composition among children with rAOM compared to healthy controls. Six bacterial taxa (Veillonella, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Bacteroides and Blautia) were differentially represented with weak statistical significance. However, several bacterial taxa displayed correlations with multiple consecutive infections, with Turicibacter showing the most significant association. Additionally, day care centre attendance emerged as a potent gut microbiota modifier, independent of rAOM. Although our study identified limited differences in gut microbiota composition between children with rAOM and healthy controls, the observed correlations between the number of infections and specific bacterial taxa suggest a potential link between rAOM and the gut microbiota, warranting further investigation.
复发性急性中耳炎（rAOM）是 1 至 6 岁儿童面临的重大挑战，其特征是频繁且对抗生素治疗有抗性的耳部感染。虽然现有研究主要集中在与 rAOM 相关的鼻咽微生物组的改变，但我们的研究探索了与肠道微生物组相关的未被充分研究的关联。在这项横断面观察性前瞻性研究中，我们在 2021/2022 年寒冷季节招募了 35 名 1 至 6 岁的儿童。实验组包括 rAOM 患儿（n=16），对照组由一般健康的儿童组成（n=19）。在春末采集样本（粪便和鼻咽拭子），以确保有一个无抗生素的时期。通过问卷收集详细的元数据，调查可能影响微生物组的因素。通过扩增子测序 16S rRNA 基因的 V3-V4 区来评估微生物组组成。我们的研究结果表明，与健康对照组相比，rAOM 患儿的肠道微生物组组成变化有限。六个细菌分类群（韦荣球菌科、毛螺菌科、瘤胃球菌科、毛螺菌科、拟杆菌属和布劳特氏菌属）具有微弱的统计学意义的差异表达。然而，有几个细菌分类群与多次连续感染相关，其中瘤胃球菌属与最显著相关。此外，日托中心的出勤率是肠道微生物组的一个重要调节剂，与 rAOM 无关。虽然我们的研究发现 rAOM 患儿和健康对照组之间的肠道微生物组组成差异有限，但观察到的感染次数与特定细菌分类群之间的相关性表明 rAOM 与肠道微生物组之间存在潜在联系，需要进一步研究。
