Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Compartmentalization in Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Lung injury after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) occurs due to infection, chemotherapy toxicity, and alloreactive inflammation. Analyses of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid have revealed dominant pathobiologic signatures, but minimally-invasive diagnostics are needed.

Objectives

To determine whether microbiome and gene expression perturbations are shared along the respiratory tract or isolated to the alveoli in pediatric HCT patients with lung injury.

Methods

We performed bulk RNA sequencing on 189 paired nasal and BAL samples from 160 patients enrolled at 28 children's hospitals (2016-2021). Microbial and human transcripts were compared using multivariable models accounting for age, sex, and paired sampling.

Measurements and main results

SUBMITTER: Evans EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12633101 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature