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Hernandez-Leyva AJ, Rosen AL, Tomera CP, Lin EE, Akaho EH, Blatz AM, Otto WR, Logan J, Young LR, Harris RM, Kau AL, John ARO. Developmental progression of the nasopharyngeal microbiome during childhood and association with the lower airway microbiome. medRxiv 2023:2023.09.18.23295747. [PMID: 37790477 PMCID: PMC10543049 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.18.23295747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Background The upper (URT) and lower (LRT) respiratory tract feature distinct environments and responses affecting microbial colonization but investigating the relationship between them is technically challenging. We aimed to identify relationships between taxa colonizing the URT and LRT and explore their relationship with development during childhood. Methods We employed V4 16S rDNA sequencing to profile nasopharyngeal swabs and tracheal aspirates collected from 183 subjects between 20 weeks and 18 years of age. These samples were collected prior to elective procedures at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia over the course of 20 weeks in 2020, from otherwise healthy subjects enrolled in a study investigating potential reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2. Findings After extraction, sequencing, and quality control, we studied the remaining 124 nasopharyngeal swabs and 98 tracheal aspirates, including 85 subject-matched pairs of samples. V4 16S rDNA sequencing revealed that the nasopharynx is colonized by few, highly-abundant taxa, while the tracheal aspirates feature a diverse assembly of microbes. While no taxa co-occur in the URT and LRT of the same subject, clusters of microbiomes in the URT correlate with clusters of microbiomes in the LRT. The clusters identified in the URT correlate with subject age across childhood development. Interpretations The correlation between clusters of taxa across sites may suggest a mutual influence from either a third site, such as the oropharynx, or host-extrinsic, environmental features. The identification of a pattern of upper respiratory microbiota development across the first 18 years of life suggests that the patterns observed in early childhood may extend beyond the early life window.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel J Hernandez-Leyva
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine and Center for Women's Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Anne L Rosen
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine and Center for Women's Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Christopher P Tomera
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine and Center for Women's Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Elaina E Lin
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA
| | - Elikplim H Akaho
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA
- Department of Medicine, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
| | - Allison M Blatz
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA
- Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nemours Children's Hospital, Wilmington DE
| | - William R Otto
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA
- Division of Infectious Disease, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Joey Logan
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA
| | - Lisa R Young
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA
| | - Rebecca M Harris
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA
| | - Andrew L Kau
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine and Center for Women's Infectious Disease Research, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Audrey R Odom John
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA
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