Upper Respiratory Microbiota in Relation to Ear and Nose Health Among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children

Abstract

Background We explored the nasal microbiota in Indigenous Australian children in relation to ear and nasal health. Methods In total, 103 Indigenous Australian children aged 2–7 years (mean 4.7 years) were recruited from 2 Queensland communities. Children’s ears, nose, and throats were examined and upper respiratory tract (URT) swabs collected. Clinical histories were obtained from parents/medical records. URT microbiota were characterized using culturomics with Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) identification. Real-time PCR was used to quantify otopathogen (Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Moraxella catarrhalis) loads and detect respiratory viruses. Data were analyzed using beta diversity measures, regression modeling, and a correlation network analysis. Results Children with historical/current otitis media (OM) or URT infection (URTI) had higher nasal otopathogen detection and loads and rhinovirus detection compared with healthy children (all P < .04). Children with purulent rhinorrhea had higher nasal otopathogen detection and loads and rhinovirus detection (P < .04) compared with healthy children. High otopathogen loads were correlated in children with historical/current OM or URTI, whereas Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum and Dolosigranulum pigrum were correlated in healthy children. Conclusions Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum and D. pigrum are associated with URT and ear health. The importance of the main otopathogens in URT disease/OM was confirmed, and their role relates to co-colonization and high otopathogens loads.

Genomic Stability and Genetic Defense Systems in Dolosigranulum pigrum , a Candidate Beneficial Bacterium from the Human Microbiome

“…Multiple recent studies of the composition of human nasal microbiota identify D. pigrum as a candidate beneficial bacterium ( 1 – 30 ). Our systematic analysis of 28 D. pigrum strain genomes, including 19 complete and closed genomes, reveals a phylogeny in which strains collected 20 years apart intermingled in clades and showed remarkable stability in genome structure ( Fig.…”

“…Evidence points to a prominent role for the benign nasal bacterium Dolosigranulum pigrum in structuring nasal microbiota beneficial to human health ( 1 – 30 ; reviewed in references 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , and 36 ). Individuals whose nasal microbiota is dominated by D. pigrum are less likely to be colonized by nasal pathobionts and are therefore at lower risk of invasive infections due to these microbes.…”

“…Young infants with prolonged high levels of D. pigrum and Corynebacterium exhibit greater stability of their nasal microbiota and fewer respiratory tract infections ( 3 , 4 , 6 , 11 , 21 ). Also, higher levels of nasal D. pigrum and Corynebacterium are more common in healthy children than in children with pneumonia ( 12 ) or those with otitis media ( 1 , 2 , 15 , 30 ).…”

Upper Respiratory Tract Microbiome of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children in Ear and Nose Health and Disease

“…We previously used culturomics and species-specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) to explore the nasal microbiota in relation to ear health and OM in 103 Indigenous Australian children ( 5 ). We found that children with historical or current OM/upper respiratory tract (URT) infection had large otopathogen loads and higher rates of detection of rhinovirus ( 5 ). In contrast, Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum and Dolosigranulum pigrum were associated with URT/ear health ( 5 ).…”

“…We found that children with historical or current OM/upper respiratory tract (URT) infection had large otopathogen loads and higher rates of detection of rhinovirus ( 5 ). In contrast, Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum and Dolosigranulum pigrum were associated with URT/ear health ( 5 ). However, culture-based analyses can be insensitive to microbial population structure and fastidious or unculturable organisms, such as the recently described “ Candidatus Ornithobacterium hominis” ( 6 , 7 ).…”