AUTHOR=Snyder Brittney M. , Gebretsadik Tebeb , Turi Kedir N. , McKennan Christopher , Havstad Suzanne , Jackson Daniel J. , Ober Carole , Lynch Susan , McCauley Kathryn , Seroogy Christine M. , Zoratti Edward M. , Khurana Hershey Gurjit K. , Berdnikovs Sergejs , Cunningham Gary , Summar Marshall L. , Gern James E. , Hartert Tina V. ,  on behalf of the ECHO-CREW investigators 

TITLE=Association of citrulline concentration at birth with lower respiratory tract infection in infancy: Findings from a multi-site birth cohort study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2022.979777

DOI=10.3389/fped.2022.979777

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=<p>Assessing the association of the newborn metabolic state with severity of subsequent respiratory tract infection may provide important insights on infection pathogenesis. In this multi-site birth cohort study, we identified newborn metabolites associated with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in the first year of life in a discovery cohort and assessed for replication in two independent cohorts. Increased citrulline concentration was associated with decreased odds of LRTI (discovery cohort: aOR 0.83 [95% CI 0.70–0.99], <italic>p</italic> = 0.04; replication cohorts: aOR 0.58 [95% CI 0.28–1.22], <italic>p</italic> = 0.15). While our findings require further replication and investigation of mechanisms of action, they identify a novel target for LRTI prevention and treatment.</p>