Journal List > Pediatr Infect Vaccine > v.26(3) > 1139677

Kim: Respiratory Microbiome in Children

Abstract

The human respiratory tract hosts both pathogenic and commensal bacteria. The development of well-conserved 16S rRNA sequencing and culture-independent techniques has enabled many achievements in the study of the human microbiome. Microbial composition of the respiratory tract in early childhood has been shown to correlate to respiratory health in later stages of life. This review highlights current understandings of respiratory microbiota development in healthy children, examples of microbial interactions, impacts on the host immune system, and the relationship between respiratory tract microbiome and respiratory health.

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1

Host and environmental factors that influence the respiratory microbiota.

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Fig. 2

Gut-lung communication. The oropharynx, bloodstream, and nerve may serve as routes of immunologic communication between the gut and the lung.

Abbreviations: SCFAs, short-chain fatty acids.
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Table 1

Niche-specific selective growth of the respiratory microbiota424344)

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Respiratory tract pH Humidity (%) Temperature (°C) Density (unit−1) Microbiota
Nasal cavity 6.3 45 23 103 Staphylococcus spp., Propionibacterium spp., Corynebacterium spp., Moraxella spp., and Streptococcus spp.
Nasopharynx 7 90 34 103 Moraxella spp., Staphylococcus spp., Corynebacterium spp., Dolosigranulum spp., Haemophilus spp., and Streptococcus spp.
Oropharynx 7.2 95 36 106 Streptococcus spp., Rothia spp., Veillonella spp., Prevotella spp., and Leptotrichia spp.
Lung 7.5 100 37 102 Prevotella spp., Veillonella spp., Streptococcus spp., and Tropheryma whipplei

Notes

Conflict of Interest No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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Dong Hyun Kim
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