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Zhipan Teng, Qi Li,* Xiao-fei Shen* Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210008, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiao-fei Shen; Qi Li, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 72 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210008, People’s Republic of China, Email flyfly1205@126.com; liqi71520@hotmail.comObjective: Human microbiome is involved in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases, but the impact of nasal microbiota on allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms severity has not been evaluated. This study aimed to characterize nasal microbiome in AR children and its correlations with AR symptoms.Methods: According to diagnostic guidelines for AR, 45 AR children and 40 healthy subjects were recruited from July to August in 2023. Based on the total score of nasal symptoms (TNSS), the 45 AR patients were divided into a mild AR group (MAR) (n = 16) and a moderate or severe AR group (MSAR) (n = 29). Nasal swabs were collected for microbiome analysis using 16S-rDNA sequencing.Results: The Simpson and Shannon indices were significantly higher in the AR group compared to the health control group, indicating an increase of nasal microbiota at the species evenness level in AR children. Moreover, the species evenness was significantly increased in the MSAR group compared to the MAR group. Staphylococcus (member of the Firmicutes phylum) was significantly dominant in the AR group, but Moraxella (member of the Proteobacteria phylum) was significantly dominant in the CG group. The LEfSe analysis showed that the mean relative abundances of Ralstonia in the MSAR group was higher than that in the MAR group. Meanwhile, the abundance divided by Ralstonia of Spearman correlation coefficients was positively correlated with the TNSS of AR symptoms (r = 0.4, P = 0.009).Conclusion: The elevation of species evenness in nasal microbiome was likely related to the aggravation of AR symptoms. The Ralstonia may play a pro-inflammatory role in AR.Plain Language Summary: In this study, 45 AR children and 40 healthy subjects were recruited and the AR patients were divided into a mild AR group (MAR) (n = 16) and a moderate or severe AR group (MSAR) (n = 29) based on the total score of nasal symptoms (TNSS). High throughput 16S rDNA analysis was employed to evaluate the nasal microbiome in AR children and its correlations with AR symptoms. We found that the Simpson and Shannon indices were significantly higher in the AR group than in the CG group, and in the MSAR group than in the MAR group, indicating that the rise of species evenness in nasal microbiome may be related to the occurrence and aggravation of AR symptoms. Staphylococcus (member of the Firmicutes phylum) was significantly dominant in the AR group, and the abundance of Ralstonia was positively correlated with the TNSS of AR symptoms.Keywords: nasal microbes, allergic rhinitis, symptoms severity, children |
