Abstract
Background: In recent years, the morbidity of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) has increased significantly in China. A growing number of studies indicate that imbalanced respiratory microbiota is associated with various respiratory diseases. Methods: We enrolled 119 children, including 60 pneumonia patients and 59 healthy children. Nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) sampling was performed for 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene analysis of all children. Sputum and OP swabs were obtained from patients for pathogen detection. Results: Both the NP and OP microbiota of patients differ significantly from that of healthy children. Diseased children harbor lower microbial diversity and a simpler co-occurrence network in NP and OP. In pneumonia patients, NP and OP microbiota showed greater similarities between each other, suggesting transmission of NP microbiota to the OP. Aside from clinically detected pathogens, NP and OP microbiota analysis has also identified possible pathogens in seven cases with unknown infections. Conclusion: NP and OP microbiota in MPP and non-MPP are definitely similar. Respiratory infection generates imbalanced NP microbiota, which has the potential to transmit to OP. Microbiota analysis also promises to compliment the present means of detecting respiratory pathogens.
Highlights
Various pathogens, such as M. pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), are common infectious agents of pneumonia, which is one of the principal causes of childhood morbidity and mortality [1,2,3,4]
Generalized clinical detection of pathogens was primarily based on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) sampling, which was confined to pneumonia with severe diseases [5] and contaminated by respiratory flora in upper respiratory tracts (URTs) [6]
The Moraxella lacunata-dominated microbiota structure was identified in viral pneumonia [2], while the S. pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae complex or Moraxella catarrhalis dominated in the nasopharyngeal (NP)
Summary
Various pathogens, such as M. pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), are common infectious agents of pneumonia, which is one of the principal causes of childhood morbidity and mortality [1,2,3,4]. Generalized clinical detection of pathogens was primarily based on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) sampling, which was confined to pneumonia with severe diseases [5] and contaminated by respiratory flora in upper respiratory tracts (URTs) [6]. Numerous reports demonstrated an imbalance of microbial flora in pneumonia patients who harbored lower diversity and richness of microbiota in URTs [2,5]. This imbalanced respiratory microbiota pattern varied with infectious agents [10]. Results: Both the NP and OP microbiota of patients differ significantly from that of healthy children. Diseased children harbor lower microbial diversity and a simpler co-occurrence network in NP and OP
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