Increasing evidence revealed that airway microbial dysbiosis was associated with increased risk of asthma, or persistent wheezing (PW). However, the role of lung microbiota in PW or wheezing recurrence remains poorly understood. In this prospective observational study, we performed a longitudinal 16S rRNA-based microbiome survey on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples collected from 35 infants with PW and 28 age-matched infants (control group). A 2-year follow-up study on these PW patients was conducted. The compositions of lower airway microbiota were analyzed at the phylum and genus levels. Our study showed a clear difference in lower airway microbiota between PW children and the control group. Children with PW had a higher abundance of Elizabethkingia and Rothia, and lower abundance of Fusobacterium compared with the control group. At the end of the 2-year follow-up, 20 children with PW (57.1%) experienced at least one episode of wheezing, and 15 (42.9%) did not suffer from wheezing episodes. Furthermore, PW children with recurrence also had increased abundances of Elizabethkingia and Rothia relative to those who had no recurrence. Additionally, wheezing history, different gender, and caesarean section demonstrated a greater impact in airway microbiota compositions. This study suggests that the alterations of lower airway microbiota could be strongly associated with the development of wheezing, and early airway microbial changes could also be associated with wheezing recurrence later in life.

中文翻译：

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持续性喘息患儿气道微生物群的随访研究

越来越多的证据表明，气道微生物菌群失调与哮喘或持续性喘息 (PW) 风险增加有关。然而，肺微生物群在 PW 或喘息复发中的作用仍然知之甚少。在这项前瞻性观察性研究中，我们对从 35 名患有 PW 的婴儿和 28 名年龄匹配的婴儿（对照组）收集的支气管肺泡灌洗液 (BAL) 样本进行了一项基于 16S rRNA 的纵向微生物组调查。对这些 PW 患者进行了为期 2 年的随访研究。在门和属水平上分析了下呼吸道微生物群的组成。我们的研究表明，PW 儿童和对照组的下呼吸道微生物群存在明显差异。与对照组相比，患有 PW 的儿童的 Elizabethkingia 和 Rothia 丰度较高，而梭杆菌的丰度较低。在 2 年随访结束时，20 名 PW 儿童（57.1%）至少有一次喘息发作，15 名（42.9%）没有喘息发作。此外，与未复发的儿童相比，复发的 PW 儿童的 Elizabethkingia 和 Rothia 丰度也增加。此外，喘息史、不同性别和剖腹产对气道微生物群组成的影响更大。这项研究表明，下呼吸道微生物群的改变可能与喘息的发展密切相关，早期气道微生物的变化也可能与生命后期的喘息复发有关。与没有复发的儿童相比，复发的 PW 儿童的 Elizabethkingia 和 Rothia 丰度也增加了。此外，喘息史、不同性别和剖腹产对气道微生物群组成的影响更大。这项研究表明，下呼吸道微生物群的改变可能与喘息的发展密切相关，早期气道微生物的变化也可能与生命后期的喘息复发有关。与没有复发的儿童相比，复发的 PW 儿童的 Elizabethkingia 和 Rothia 丰度也增加了。此外，喘息史、不同性别和剖腹产对气道微生物群组成的影响更大。这项研究表明，下呼吸道微生物群的改变可能与喘息的发展密切相关，早期气道微生物的变化也可能与生命后期的喘息复发有关。