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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1491506
This article is part of the Research Topic Acute/chronic pathogen infections: Roles of resident, probiotic, and live biotherapeutic microbes in limiting or preventing disease View all 24 articles

Distinct lower respiratory tract microbiota profiles linked to airway mucus hypersecretion in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia

Provisionally accepted
Xiaopeng Yuan Xiaopeng Yuan 1,2*Xiwen Wei Xiwen Wei 1,3Wan Wang Wan Wang 2Hang Cheng Hang Cheng 2Yin Huang Yin Huang 4Qixian Zhou Qixian Zhou 3
  • 1 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 2 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
  • 3 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Foshan Women and Children Hospital, Foshan, Guangdong Province, China
  • 4 Department of Pediatrics, the Foshan Women and Children hospital, Foshan, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Airway mucus hypersecretion (AMH) can occur in children with acute respiratory diseases, but its underlying mechanisms and relationship with the lower respiratory tract microbiota (LRTM) are not yet fully understood. This study investigates the characteristics of LRTM in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) and its impact on AMH. Methods: We collected bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and related clinical indicators from 202 children with MPP. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used for detection and identification. Microbial diversity and characteristic genera were compared, and their abundance was analyzed for correlations with clinical factors. Results: As the disease course (days from onset to bronchoscopy, grouped into T1, T2, T3) extended, α-diversity of the LRTM gradually increases, particularly in the T3 hypersecretion group. Moreover, significant differences were observed in the incidence of AMH, co-infection rates, peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count, and C-reactive protein levels. In AMH, Mycoplasmoides and Veillonella abundance and peripheral neutrophils are risk factors for increased secretions. In addition, in the T3 co-infection group, Streptococcus and Prevotella increased, replacing Stenotrophomonas as the dominant genus, possibly due to β-lactam antibiotic use. Prevotella abundance was strongly correlated with WBC.The composition and structure of LRTM in children with MPP plays a crucial role in AMH and disease progression.

    Keywords: Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, lower respiratory tract microbiota, Airway mucus hypersecretion, Co-infection, Children

    Received: 05 Sep 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yuan, Wei, Wang, Cheng, Huang and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xiaopeng Yuan, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.