Haemophilus-Dominant Nasopharyngeal Microbiota Is Associated With Delayed Clearance of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Infants Hospitalized for Bronchiolitis

Abstract The relation of nasopharyngeal microbiota to the clearance of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis is not known. In a multicenter cohort, we found that 106 of 557 infants (19%) hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis had the same RSV subtype 3 weeks later (ie, delayed clearance of RSV). Using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and a clustering approach, infants with a Haemophilus-dominant microbiota profile at hospitalization were more likely than those with a mixed profile to have delayed clearance, after adjustment for 11 factors, including viral load. Nasopharyngeal microbiota composition is associated with delayed RSV clearance. In a prospective, multicenter cohort of infants hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis, we found that 19% of infants had the same RSV subtype 3 weeks later and that a Haemophilus-dominant nasopharyngeal microbiota was associated with this delayed clearance of RSV.