Bacterial communities co-develop with respiratory immunity early in life, linking dysbiosis to systemic monocyte signature and wheezing
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 <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> and <i>Moraxella</i>, 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.
Authors
- Céline Pattaroni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9920-1181)
- Mindy Gore (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1458-1438)
- Matthew Macowan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7721-1349)
- Sejal Saglani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5192-6418)
- Adnan Ćustović (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5218-7071)
- Steve Turner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8393-5060)
- Jürgen Schwarze (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6899-748X)
- Ultan F. Power (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3246-3774)
- Bailey Cardwell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4686-4210)
- Jonathan Grigg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3109-6028)
- Andrew Bush (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6756-9822)
- Graham Roberts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2252-1248)
- Peter Ghazal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0035-2228)
- Benjamin J. Marsland (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1457-3160)
- Roxanne Chatzis
- Clare M. Lloyd (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8977-6726)
- Michael D. Shields (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3793-3571)
- Giuseppe Iacono (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1527-0754)
Institutions
- Queen's University Belfast (GB)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- University of Aberdeen (GB)
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- NHS Grampian (GB)
- Royal Brompton Hospital (GB)
- Lung Institute (US)
- NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (GB)
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (GB)
- St Mary's Hospital (GB)
- David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre (GB)
- Centre for Inflammation Research (GB)
- St. Mary's Hospital (GB)
- University of Southampton (GB)
- Imperial College London (GB)
- Monash University (AU)
- Cardiff University (GB)
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2025-10-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adw1410
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Gut microbiota and health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.42
Funders
- Queen's University Belfast
- Queen's University