Labmanager Logo

Children's Noses Hold Clues to Serious Lung Infections

Researchers say the results help explain why some children are more prone to developing infections than others

| 2 min read
Share this Article
Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00

noses

Tiny organisms in a child's nose could offer clues to improving the diagnosis and treatment of severe lung infections, research shows.

Experts found that the composition of the microbiome—the population of bacteria and viruses found in vast numbers in the body—was altered in the noses of children with respiratory infections, compared with healthy peers.

Lab manager academy logo

Get training in Lab Crisis Preparation and earn CEUs.

One of over 25 IACET-accredited courses in the Academy.

Certification logo

Lab Crisis Preparation course

This difference predicted how long children had to spend in hospital and helped spot those likely to recover naturally, potentially reducing the need for antibiotics.

Researchers say the results also help explain why some children are more prone to developing infections than others and could be key to preventing serious lung infections.

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), including pneumonia and bronchiolitis, are a leading cause of death in under-fives worldwide. Symptoms include shortness of breath, weakness, and fever.

Doctors from the University of Edinburgh worked with teams in The Netherlands to take samples from more than 150 children under the age of six hospitalized with LRTI. They compared these with samples from 300 healthy children.

They found that the microbiome in the back of the nose and throat was related to that seen in the lungs, making it easier to understand and diagnose infections.

Interested in Life Science News?

Subscribe to our free Life Science Tools & Techniques newsletter.

Children with LRTI had a different microbiome profile—including the types and amounts of individual viral and bacterial organisms—compared with the healthy children, experts found.

These profiles could identify 92 percent of children as being healthy or ill when combined with factors such as the child's age. This was true no matter what symptoms the child had.

Experts say this breaks with traditional thinking that symptoms predict whether either a virus or bacteria is causing the illness and could impact on a decision of whether or not to use antibiotics.

The microbiome profile also helped the scientists predict the length of the child's hospital stay, a marker of infection severity.

Loading Next Article...
Loading Next Article...

CURRENT ISSUE - November 2024

The Blueprint for Lab Safety Success

Protecting your lab's greatest asset: its people

Lab Manager November 2024 Cover Image
Lab Manager Life Science eNewsletter

Stay Connected with Life Science News

Click below to subscribe to Life Science Tools & Techniques eNewsletter!

Subscribe Today