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Review
. 2015 Dec 1:6:90-100.
doi: 10.15172/pneu.2015.6/656. eCollection 2015.

The respiratory microbiota during health and disease: a paediatric perspective

Ilan J N Koppen  1   2 , Astrid A T M Bosch  1   2 , Elisabeth A M Sanders  1 , Marlies A van Houten  2 , Debby Bogaert  1
Affiliations
Review

The respiratory microbiota during health and disease: a paediatric perspective

Ilan J N Koppen et al. Pneumonia (Nathan). .

Abstract

Recent studies investigating the relationship between the microbiota and disease are demonstrating novel concepts that could significantly alter the way we treat disease and promote health in the future. It is suggested that the microbiota acquired during childhood may shape the microbial community and affect immunological responses for later life, and could therefore be important in the susceptibility towards disease. Several diseases, including asthma, pneumonia, and otitis media, are associated with changes in composition and diversity of the respiratory microbiota. This review summarises current literature, focusing on the composition and development of the respiratory microbiota in children and its relationship with respiratory diseases.

Keywords: children; microbiome; microbiota; paediatric; respiratory infections; respiratory tract.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of internal and external drivers of development of the respiratory microbiota in the first years of life
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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