Fragmented Microbial Networks and Moraxella-Driven Airway Clustering Characterize Preschool Wheezers Across the Gut – Airways Axis

Abstract Early-life wheezing in children has been associated with microbial alterations along the gut-airway axis, yet studies simultaneously investigating bacterial communities in both compartments remain scarce. The aim of this cross-sectional exploratory pilot study ( n = 25) was to characterize and compare nasal and stool bacterial communities in preschool children aged 1–4 years with recurrent wheezing and healthy controls using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Across participants, nasal and stool bacteriomes were highly individualized and taxonomically diverse. Overall richness, evenness, and community composition did not differ significantly between healthy children and wheezers in either compartment. However, wheezers displayed markedly higher within-group variability, particularly in nasal communities. Stratification based on microbiome similarity to healthy samples revealed increased Moraxella and reduced commensal genera including Prevotella spp. and Veillonella , along with lower richness and evenness (all p < 0.001) in nasal samples with divergent bacterial communities. Stool alterations were more subtle but included trends toward reduced Bacteroides , Faecalibacterium , and Alistipes in wheezers more divergent from healthy controls. Community assembly in both compartments was largely governed by stochastic processes but accompanied by less complex and more fragmented bacterial interaction networks in wheezing children. Cross-compartment correlations were also altered, most prominently involving stool Lactococcus showing stronger and more numerous correlations with nasal taxa in wheezers than in healthy controls. Divergent wheezers exhibited distinct modular network structure and cross-compartment profiles, consistent with a differentiated microbial organization. Together, these findings suggest compartment-specific differences in microbial interaction patterns across the gut–airway axis in early-life wheezing, despite limited differences in overall community diversity.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Microbial Ecology
Published
2026-09-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-026-02867-3
Primary Topic
Asthma and respiratory diseases
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Fragmented Microbial Networks and Moraxella-Driven Airway Clustering Characterize Preschool Wheezers Across the Gut – Airways Axis

Vera Veith, Esther Zeitlmann, Wasifa Nurieva, Silvia Gschwendtner et al.
Microbial Ecology
Asthma and respiratory diseases
article

Fragmented Microbial Networks and Moraxella-Driven Airway Clustering Characterize Preschool Wheezers Across the Gut – Airways Axis

Vera Veith, Esther Zeitlmann, Wasifa Nurieva, Silvia Gschwendtner, Svenja Foth, Tobias Trojan, Alexander Höse, CB Schmidt-Weber, Wiebke Hagedorn, Svenja Gaedcke, Nicole Maison, Frauke Pedersen, Benjamin Waschki, Sabina Illi, Markus Weckmann, Ilona Rosenboom, Jan-Christoph Thomassen, Jimmy Omony, Lennart Riemann, Heike Biller, Mustafa Abdo, Inga Jerrentrup, Adan Chari Jirmo, Anika Habener, Mifflin-Rae Calvero, Gyde Nissen, Isabell Ricklefs, Lena Ullemeyer, Folke (Prof. Dr. med.) Brinkmann, Christopher Wirks, Chrysanthi Skevaki, Inke R. König, Constanze Jakwerth, Markus Ege, Lea Kronziel, Ernst Rietschel, Mira Bürk, Karoline I. Gaede, Lena Lagally, Lena Keufken, Nikolas Jacobs, Constantin Blanke-Roeser, Marie Bickes, Loana Penner, Sybille Contento, Ruth Grychtol, Burkhard Tümmler, Anne-Marie Kirsten, Christine Happle, Bin Liu, the ALLIANCE Study Group, Silke van Koningsbruggen-Rietschel, Stefanie Weber, Matthias V. Kopp, Silke Szymczak, David S. DeLuca, Thomas Bahmer, Gesine Hansen, Anna-Maria Dittrich, Harald Renz, Michael Schloter, Bianca Schaub, Miguel AAlejandre Alcazar, Henrik Watz, Klaus Rabe, Erika von Mutius
article en

Abstract

Abstract Early-life wheezing in children has been associated with microbial alterations along the gut-airway axis, yet studies simultaneously investigating bacterial communities in both compartments remain scarce. The aim of this cross-sectional exploratory pilot study ( n = 25) was to characterize and compare nasal and stool bacterial communities in preschool children aged 1–4 years with recurrent wheezing and healthy controls using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Across participants, nasal and stool bacteriomes were highly individualized and taxonomically diverse. Overall richness, evenness, and community composition did not differ significantly between healthy children and wheezers in either compartment. However, wheezers displayed markedly higher within-group variability, particularly in nasal communities. Stratification based on microbiome similarity to healthy samples revealed increased Moraxella and reduced commensal genera including Prevotella spp. and Veillonella , along with lower richness and evenness (all p < 0.001) in nasal samples with divergent bacterial communities. Stool alterations were more subtle but included trends toward reduced Bacteroides , Faecalibacterium , and Alistipes in wheezers more divergent from healthy controls. Community assembly in both compartments was largely governed by stochastic processes but accompanied by less complex and more fragmented bacterial interaction networks in wheezing children. Cross-compartment correlations were also altered, most prominently involving stool Lactococcus showing stronger and more numerous correlations with nasal taxa in wheezers than in healthy controls. Divergent wheezers exhibited distinct modular network structure and cross-compartment profiles, consistent with a differentiated microbial organization. Together, these findings suggest compartment-specific differences in microbial interaction patterns across the gut–airway axis in early-life wheezing, despite limited differences in overall community diversity.

Microbial Ecology
University of Bern (CH), University Hospital of Bern (CH), Helmholtz Zentrum München (DE), Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (DE), German Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology (DE), Universitäres Kinderwunschzentrum Lübeck (DE), University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (DE), University Children’s Hospital Bern (CH), Research Center Borstel - Leibniz Lung Center (DE), German Center for Lung Research (DE), LungenClinic Grosshansdorf (DE), Technical University of Munich (DE), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DE), University of Lübeck (DE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Asthma and respiratory diseases
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.