Nasopharyngeal microbiota composition of children is related to the frequency of upper respiratory infection and acute sinusitis.

Gregory P. DeMuri,Ellen R. Wald,Susan V. Lynch,Ali A. Faruqi,James E. Gern,Clark A. Santee,Nabeetha A. Nagalingam

doi:10.1186/s40168-016-0179-9

Abstract

BackgroundUpper respiratory infections (URI) and their complications are a major healthcare burden for pediatric populations. Although the microbiology of the nasopharynx is an important determinant of the complications of URI, little is known of the nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiota of children, the factors that affect its composition, and its precise relationship with URI.ResultsHealthy children (n = 47) aged 49–84 months from a prospective cohort study based in Wisconsin, USA, were examined. Demographic and clinical data and NP swab samples were obtained from participants upon entry to the study. All NP samples were profiled for bacterial microbiota using a phylogenetic microarray, and these data were related to demographic characteristics and upper respiratory health outcomes. The composition of the NP bacterial community of children was significantly related prior to the history of acute sinusitis (R2 = 0.070, P < 0.009). History of acute sinusitis was associated with significant depletion in relative abundance of taxa including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Akkermansia spp. and enrichment of Moraxella nonliquefaciens. Enrichment of M. nonliquefaciens was also a characteristic of baseline NP samples of children who subsequently developed acute sinusitis over the 1-year study period. Time to develop URI was significantly positively correlated with NP diversity, and children who experienced more frequent URIs exhibited significantly diminished NP microbiota diversity (P ≤ 0.05).ConclusionsThese preliminary data suggest that previous history of acute sinusitis influences the composition of the NP microbiota, characterized by a depletion in relative abundance of specific taxa. Diminished diversity was associated with more frequent URIs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40168-016-0179-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

Upper respiratory infections (URI) and their complications are a major healthcare burden for pediatric populations
Variability in NP microbiota composition is significantly associated with a history of acute sinusitis A total of 951 taxa were identified in baseline NP microbiota of participants (n = 47) in our cohort
Based on the relationship between a prior history of acute sinusitis and composition of the microbiota, we examined differences in the relative abundance of baseline taxa associated with the development of acute sinusitis subsequent to baseline sampling

Summary

Introduction

Upper respiratory infections (URI) and their complications are a major healthcare burden for pediatric populations. Upper respiratory infection (URI) is one of the most common reasons for children in the USA to seek medical care [1]. The beta-diversity of bacterial communities was more similar in adults compared to that observed in children, indicating greater heterogeneity in upper airway microbiota in early life [5]. Subjects were grouped into one of six bacterial community states, each dominated by a distinct genus (Moraxella, Haemophilus, Streptococcus, Corynebacteria, Alloiococcus, or Staphylococcus) [6]. Infants whose NP microbiota were dominated by Moraxella, Haemophilus, or Streptococcus at the time of viral respiratory infection exhibited significantly higher risk for developing lower airway infection. Early colonization with a Streptococcus-dominated community conferred an increased risk for the development of persistent asthma [6]

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