Journal Article Ppublish 2 citations
PubMed: 40778780 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00467-25
Impact of seasonal variation on the oral and nasopharyngeal microbiome in school-aged children: the school MicroBE initiative.
mSystems 10(9):e0046725
Authors: Juan Castro-Severyn, Nicolás Pacheco, Guillermo Valdivia, Gabriel I Krüger, Coral Pardo-Esté, Francisco Remonsellez, Aldo Gaggero, Gloria Arriagada, Fernando Valiente-Echeverria, Jorge Olivares-Pacheco, Jorge H Valdes, Claudia P Saavedra
Affiliations
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular, One Health Institute, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile.
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Aplicada y Extremófilos, Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile.
- Centro de Investigación Tecnológica del Agua y Sustentabilidad en el Desierto-CEITSAZA, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile.
- Bio-computing and Genome Biology Laboratory, Center for Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile.
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Aplicada y Extremófilos, Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile. Centro de Investigación Tecnológica del Agua y Sustentabilidad en el Desierto-CEITSAZA, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile.
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina y Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile.
- Laboratorio de Virología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
- Grupo de Resistencia Antimicrobiana en Bacterias Patógenas y Ambientales (GRABPA), Instituto de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
Abstract
The "School MicroBE" initiative explores how the built environment impacts microbial communities in school-aged children by examining temporal dynamics and shifts in nasopharyngeal and oral microbiomes. This longitudinal study involved 119 children aged 4 to 13 at a public school, with nasopharyngeal and oral samples collected in autumn, winter, and spring of 2023. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we assessed microbial composition through alpha and beta diversity analyses, characterized microbial assemblages, and evaluated the relative abundance of key taxa. Significant seasonal variations were observed, with an increase in alpha diversity from autumn to spring in nasopharyngeal samples. Beta diversity analyses did not reveal distinct clustering patterns based on collection months. Hierarchical clustering identified four major microbiome groups with characteristic taxonomic distribution, and co-occurrence network analysis suggested both synergistic and competitive interactions among taxa. Longitudinal transition analysis between microbiome clusters revealed dynamic changes over time, providing a baseline of microbiome states in the tested children. These findings highlight the importance of microbial community shifts in the environment by providing direct measures on microbiome stability and diversity in children, providing insights into how microbial communities respond to environmental fluctuations, including potential pathogen exposures. Understanding these temporal changes will improve the development of targeted public health strategies to assess and manage potential infectious disease outbreaks and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in school settings.IMPORTANCEThe "School MicroBE" initiative enhances our understanding of pediatric microbiome dynamics by revealing temporal and compositional shifts, thus establishing basal studies on a sentinel school contributing to the understanding of pediatric microbiome and its associated health issues.
MeSH
Genes, Rrna, Disease Outbreaks, Schools, Public Health, Aged, Microbiological Phenomena, Cluster Analysis, Environment, Microbiota, Child, Oral Microbiome