Changes in the oral and nasal microbiota in pediatric obstructive sleep apneaOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Researchers compared oral and nasal microbiota in 30 children with polysomnography-confirmed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and adenoid hypertrophy against 30 controls without adenoid hypertrophy.
How was it studied?
Swabs were taken from four oral sites, the tongue base, soft palate, both palatine tonsils, and adenoid, plus one nasal swab from both anterior nares. The 16S rRNA V3-V4 region was sequenced to profile microbial communities at each site.
What did they find?
Beta diversity and microbial profiles differed significantly between OSA patients and controls across all five upper airway sites. Haemophilus, Fusobacterium, and Porphyromonas were more abundant at the adenoid and tonsils in OSA patients, and functional analysis pointed to differences in glycerophospholipid and amino acid metabolism pathways.
Why it matters
The findings show pediatric OSA is linked to distinct compositional shifts in oral and nasal microbiota, and the dataset may serve as a reference for future upper airway microbiome research.