According to a latest study published in the ‘Clinical and Translational Allergy Journal’, gram negative microbes and associated cytokines in the lower airway play a significant role in exacerbating asthma in children.

The study aimed to determine the relationship between lower airway microbes and acute exacerbations in children with asthma, along with evaluation of airway microbe characteristics in these children.

The key findings were as follows:

• Gram-negative microbes were prominently increased during acute exacerbation of allergic asthma in children.
• Among microbial candidates, Campylobacter, Capnocytophaga, Haemophilus, and Porphyromonas were associated with inflammatory cytokines including macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1β, programmed death-ligand 1, and granzyme B.
• Increased lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and decreased glycan degradation were observed in children with asthma exacerbation.

The results of the study concluded that gram-negative microbes in the lower airway were related to acute exacerbations in children with asthma by increasing inflammatory cytokines and changing the metabolic status.