Pattaroni, Céline, Macowan, Matthew, Chatzis, Roxanne, Iacono, Giulia, Cardwell, Bailey, Gore, Mindy, Custovic, Adnan, Shields, Michael D, Power, Ultan F, Grigg, Jonathan, Roberts, Graham, Ghazal, Peter, Schwarze, Jürgen, Turner, Steve, Bush, Andrew, Saglani, Sejal, Lloyd, Clare M and Marsland, Benjamin J (2025) Bacterial communities co-develop with respiratory immunity early in life, linking dysbiosis to systemic monocyte signature and wheezing. Science Advances, 11 (42), [eadw1410]. (doi:10.1126/sciadv.adw1410).
Abstract
Early microbial colonization influences respiratory disease risk, yet mechanisms remain unclear. In a prospective birth cohort of 256 infants, we profiled bacterial, fungal, and viral communities in the upper airway and assessed local immune gene expression longitudinally and systemic gene expression at 1 year. Bacterial populations, not fungal or viral, correlated most strongly with immune development during the first 3 months, coinciding with composition shifts and immune-related gene expression changes, including interferon and adaptive immunity pathways. In contrast, the mycobiome and resident viruses showed no significant coevolution with host immunity. By 1 year, infants who previously wheezed displayed an upper airway microbiota enriched in Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella, accompanied by a distinct local and systemic immune gene signature featuring elevated classical monocyte-related genes. These findings reveal a specific link between early-life bacterial dysbiosis, monocyte-related immunity, and wheezing onset, suggesting potential targets for early intervention in respiratory disease.
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