A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
The respiratory microbiome is linked to the severity of RSV infections and the persistence of symptoms in children
Authors: Kristensen, Maartje; de Steenhuijsen, Piters Wouter A.A.; Wildenbeest, Joanne; van Houten, Marlies A.; Zuurbier, Roy P.; Hasrat, Raiza; Arp, Kayleigh; Chu, Mei Ling J.N.; Billard, Marie; Heikkinen, Terho; Cunningham, Steve; Snape, Matthew; Drysdale, Simon B.; Thwaites, Ryan S.; Martinon-Torres, Federico; Pollard, Andrew J.; Openshaw, Peter J.M.; Aerssen, Jeroen; Binkowska, Justyna; Bont, Louis; Bogaert, Debby; REspiratory Syncytial virus Consortium in EUrope (RESCEU) investigators
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Publication year: 2024
Journal: Cell Reports Medicine
Journal name in source: Cell Reports Medicine
Article number: 101836
Volume: 5
Issue: 12
eISSN: 2666-3791
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101836
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101836
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/477270828
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of infant respiratory infections and hospitalizations. To investigate the relationship between the respiratory microbiome and RSV infection, we sequence nasopharyngeal samples from a birth cohort and a pediatric case-control study (Respiratory Syncytial virus Consortium in Europe [RESCEU]). 1,537 samples are collected shortly after birth (“baseline”), during RSV infection and convalescence, and from healthy controls. We find a modest association between baseline microbiota and the severity of consecutive RSV infections. The respiratory microbiota during infection clearly differs between infants with RSV and controls. Haemophilus, Streptococcus, and Moraxella abundance are associated with severe disease and persistence of symptoms, whereas stepwise increasing abundance of Dolosigranulum and Corynebacterium is associated with milder disease and health. We conclude that the neonatal respiratory microbiota is only modestly associated with RSV severity during the first year of life. However, the respiratory microbiota at the time of infection is strongly associated with disease severity and residual symptoms.
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Funding information in the publication:
This work was supported in part by the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (grant 116019), the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO-VIDI; grant 91715359), and NHS Research Scotland/the Chief Scientist Office CSO/NRS (SCAF/16/03).
