Bacterial communities co-develop with respiratory immunity early in life, linking dysbiosis to systemic monocyte signature and wheezing.

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 Morax

SUBMITTER: Pattaroni C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12533588 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature