Nasal microbiota and symptom persistence in acute respiratory tract infections in infants

Neumann, Roland P.; Hilty, Markus; Xu, Binbin; Usemann, Jakob; Korten, Insa; Mika, Moana; Müller, Loretta; Latzin, Philipp; Frey, Urs

Viral infections in infancy and childhood represent a risk factor for the subsequent development of asthma [1] [2] [3] . In addition to viral infections, bacterial colonisation of the airways in neonates with certain species of bacteria, particularly Moraxella catarrhalis, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, has been shown to be associated with the development of childhood asthma [4, 5] . It has been hypothesised that viral infections may sustainably alter epithelial function, increasing the risk for chronic airway disease [6] , and that changes in microbial diversity may play a role, particularly in symptomatic infants [7, 8] . It has also been recognised that the airway microbiota in patients with asthma exhibit distinct differences compared with healthy subjects [9] [10] [11] . Bacterial airway colonisation seems to influence and modulate respiratory morbidity in various conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [12] [13] [14] .