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Yuan H, Liu Z, Dong J, Bacharier LB, Jackson D, Mauger D, Boushey H, Castro M, Durack J, Huang YJ, Lemanske RF, Storch GA, Weinstock GM, Wylie K, Covar R, Fitzpatrick AM, Phipatanakul W, Robison RG, Beigelman A, Zhou Y. The Fungal Microbiome of the Upper Airway Is Associated With Future Loss of Asthma Control and Exacerbation Among Children With Asthma. Chest 2023; 164:302-313. [PMID: 37003356 PMCID: PMC10477953 DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2023.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accumulating evidence suggests that the upper airway bacterial microbiota is implicated in asthma inception, severity, and exacerbation. Unlike bacterial microbiota, the role of the upper airway fungal microbiome (mycobiome) in asthma control is poorly understood. RESEARCH QUESTION What are the upper airway fungal colonization patterns among children with asthma and their relationship with subsequent loss of asthma control and exacerbation of asthma? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS The study was coupled with the Step Up Yellow Zone Inhaled Corticosteroids to Prevent Exacerbations (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02066129) clinical trial. The upper airway mycobiome was investigated using Internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) sequencing of nasal blow samples collected from children with asthma when asthma was well controlled (baseline, n = 194) and during early signs of loss of asthma control (yellow zone [YZ], n = 107). RESULTS At baseline, 499 fungal genera were detected in the upper airway samples, with two commensal fungal species, Malassezia globosa and Malassezia restricta, being most dominant. The relative abundance of Malassezia species varies by age, BMI, and race. Higher relative abundance of M globosa at baseline was associated with lower risk of future YZ episodes (P = .038) and longer time to development of first YZ episode (P = .022). Higher relative abundance of M globosa at YZ episode was associated with lower risk of progression from YZ episode to severe asthma exacerbation (P = .04). The upper airway mycobiome underwent significant changes from baseline to YZ episode, and increased fungal diversity was correlated highly with increased bacterial diversity (ρ = 0.41). INTERPRETATION The upper airway commensal mycobiome is associated with future asthma control. This work highlights the importance of the mycobiota in asthma control and may contribute to the development of fungi-based markers to predict asthma exacerbation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanshu Yuan
- Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
| | - Zhongmao Liu
- Department of Statistics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
| | - Jinhong Dong
- Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
| | - Leonard B Bacharier
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Daniel Jackson
- Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
| | - David Mauger
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State University, Hershey, PA
| | - Homer Boushey
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Mario Castro
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS
| | | | - Yvonne J Huang
- Department of Medicine and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Robert F Lemanske
- Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
| | - Gregory A Storch
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
| | | | - Kristine Wylie
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO
| | | | | | - Wanda Phipatanakul
- Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Rachel G Robison
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| | - Avraham Beigelman
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO; Kipper Institute of Allergy and Immunology, Schneider Children's Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yanjiao Zhou
- Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT.
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Simoneau T, Gaffin JM. Socioeconomic determinants of asthma health. Curr Opin Pediatr 2023; 35:337-343. [PMID: 36861771 PMCID: PMC10160003 DOI: 10.1097/mop.0000000000001235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The current review provides an assessment of the recent pediatric literature evaluating socioeconomic drivers of asthma incidence and morbidity. The review addresses the specific social determinants of health related to housing, indoor and outdoor environmental exposures, healthcare access and quality, and the impact of systematic racism. RECENT FINDINGS Many social risk factors are associated with adverse asthma outcomes. Children living in low-income, urban neighborhoods have greater exposure to both indoor and outdoor hazards, including molds, mice, second-hand smoke, chemicals, and air pollutants, all of which are associated with adverse asthma outcomes. Providing asthma education in the community - via telehealth, school-based health centers, or peer mentors - are all effective methods for improving medication adherence and asthma outcomes. The racially segregated neighborhoods created by the racist 'redlining' policies implemented decades ago, persist today as hotspots of poverty, poor housing conditions, and adverse asthma outcomes. SUMMARY Routine screening for social determinants of health in clinical settings is important to identify the social risk factors of pediatric patients with asthma. Interventions targeting social risk factors can improve pediatric asthma outcomes, but more studies are needed related to social risk interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tregony Simoneau
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Lee JX, Phipatanakul W, Gaffin JM. Environment and the development of severe asthma in inner city population. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2023; 23:179-184. [PMID: 36728241 PMCID: PMC9974609 DOI: 10.1097/aci.0000000000000890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Higher asthma prevalence and morbidity are seen in inner-city areas, disproportionately affecting low-income families living in substandard housing. Children within these families experience more frequent asthma exacerbations, acute care and emergency department visits, and hospitalizations, thus characterizing severe asthma. In this review, we assess recent published literature focused on indoor and outdoor exposures that contribute to the development and morbidity of asthma. RECENT FINDINGS Many urban environmental exposures contribute to asthma burden, including tobacco/e-cigarette smoke, pest allergens, molds, and possibly synthetic chemicals such as phthalates and bisphenol A, radon, and volatile organic compounds. Individuals living in inner-city areas also experience higher levels of air pollutants and ambient heat, further perpetuating asthma incidence and severity. SUMMARY This article summarizes the latest advances and provides direction for future research on risk factors, interventions, and public policy to help alleviate the burden of asthma due to urban environment exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia X Lee
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital
| | - Wanda Phipatanakul
- Division of allergy and immunology, Boston Children's Hospital
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan M Gaffin
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Udemgba C, Sarkaria SK, Gleeson P, Bryant-Stephens T, Ogbogu PU, Khoury P, Apter AJ. New considerations of health disparities within allergy and immunology. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2023; 151:314-323. [PMID: 36503854 PMCID: PMC9905264 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2022.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The pandemic, political upheavals, and social justice efforts in our society have resulted in attention to persistent health disparities and the urgent need to address them. Using a scoping review, we describe published updates to address disparities and targets for interventions to improve gaps in care within allergy and immunology. These disparities-related studies provide a broad view of our current understanding of how social determinants of health threaten patient outcomes and our ability to advance health equity efforts in our field. We outline next steps to improve access to care and advance health equity for patients with allergic/immunologic diseases through actions taken at the individual, community, and policy levels, which could be applied outside of our field. Key among these are efforts to increase the diversity among our trainees, providers, and scientific teams and enhancing efforts to participate in advocacy work and public health interventions. Addressing health disparities requires advancing our understanding of the interplay between social and structural barriers to care and enacting the needed interventions in various key areas to effect change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chioma Udemgba
- National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md
| | - Sandeep K Sarkaria
- Section of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pulmonary & Critical Care, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Patrick Gleeson
- Section of Allergy & Immunology, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, & Critical Care Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa
| | - Tyra Bryant-Stephens
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa
| | - Princess U Ogbogu
- Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Paneez Khoury
- National Institute of Allergic and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md
| | - Andrea J Apter
- Section of Allergy & Immunology, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, & Critical Care Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
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Moss RB. Severe Fungal Asthma: A Role for Biologics and Inhaled Antifungals. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9010085. [PMID: 36675906 PMCID: PMC9861760 DOI: 10.3390/jof9010085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Allergic asthma has traditionally been treated with inhaled and systemic glucocorticosteroids. A continuum of allergic fungal airways disease associated with Aspergillus fumigatus colonization and/or atopic immune responses that encompasses fungal asthma, severe asthma with fungal sensitization and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is now recognized along a phenotypic severity spectrum of T2-high immune deviation lung disease. Oral triazoles have shown clinical, anti-inflammatory and microbiologic efficacy in this setting; in the future inhaled antifungals may improve the therapeutic index. Humanized monoclonal antibody biologic agents targeting T2-high disease also show efficacy and promise of improved control in difficult cases. Developments in these areas are highlighted in this overview.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard B Moss
- Center of Excellence in Pulmonary Biology, Division of Pulmonary, Asthma and Sleep Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 770 Welch Road, Suite 350, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
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