Changes in the upper airway microbiota in pediatric obstructive sleep apnea

Background: A few clinical studies have demonstrated that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with dysbiosis of the oral and nasal microbiota. However, how upper airway microbial diversity, composition, and structure are altered in pediatric OSA has not been systemically explored. Methods: In total, 30 polysomnography (PSG)-confirmed OSA patients with adenoid hypertrophy, and 30 controls who did not snore or adenoid hypertrophy, were enrolled. Swabs from four surface oral tissue sites (tongue base, soft palate, both palatine tonsils, and the adenoids) and one nasal swab from both anterior nares were collected. The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) V3–V4 region was sequenced to identify the microbial communities. Results: Alpha and beta diversity were not significantly different between the pediatric OSA patients and controls at the five upper airway sites. However, the microbial profiles were significantly different among the five upper airway sites. The abundances of Haemophilus, Fusobacterium, and Porphyromonas were higher in the adenoids and tonsils of pediatric patients with OSA. Functional analysis revealed that the differential pathway between the pediatric OSA patients and controls involved amino acid metabolism and signal transduction. Conclusions: In this study, the upper airway microbiome of pediatric OSA patients only exhibited minor differences in composition compared with the controls. However, the microbiota data could be useful as a reference for studies on the upper airway microbiome or other relevant clinical phenomena.