A type of viral lung infection called bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalizations in U.S. infants as well as a major risk factor for developing asthma. New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has revealed a complex interplay among the infecting virus, the airway’s microbial composition and function, and the infant’s immune response that all contribute to a child’s risk of developing asthma after bronchiolitis.
The work, which is described in the European Respiratory Journal, relies on metatranscriptome profiles, or microbes’ RNA within certain environments— in this case, the airway of infants with severe bronchiolitis.
