NCT06059027

Microbes and Respiratory Illnesses

Microbes and Respiratory Illnesses, The MARI Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 290 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, Madison · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 4 Years – 12 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study is called the Microbes and Respiratory Illnesses (MARI) Study. Children growing up on farms are exposed to many types of microbes that could be beneficial. It is thought that increased exposure to certain types of microbes early in life helps to develop a healthy immune system and reduce the risk for severe common cold illnesses, breathing problems, and allergies.

Detailed description

Respiratory viruses, most notably rhinoviruses (RV), commonly infect school-age children during the month of September and are a well-known exposure for asthma exacerbations. Allergic sensitization is a risk factor for increased viral respiratory illness burden and wheezing. Nasal Airway Epithelial Cell (NAEC) responses to viral exposure show distinct transcriptional programs that differ in individuals with allergies or asthma. There is a growing body of evidence strongly suggesting nasal airway microbial communities enriched in several commensal bacteria are associated with protection from symptomatic RV infections. Metagenomic sequencing from previously collected nasal samples obtained at age 2 years showed distinct microbial communities and function in the Traditional agrarian (TA) Community Cohort compared to farm and non-farm children. How the early life nasal microbial community can impact risk for viral respiratory infection symptoms and NAEC biology remains an important and unresolved question. To address this important question, this proposal includes an observational study to identify patterns of nasal airway gene expression among three cohorts of school-age children that markedly differ in their susceptibility to respiratory illnesses and wheezing: children from TA/Amish communities, suburban children without asthma, and suburban children with asthma.

Conditions

• Virus
• Asthma

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-10-18
• Primary completion: 2025-11-06
• Completion: 2025-11-06
• First posted: 2023-09-28
• Last updated: 2026-01-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States