Gut and respiratory tract microbiota in children younger than 12 months hospitalized for bronchiolitis compared with healthy children: can we predict the severity and medium-term respiratory outcome?

Both the intestinal and respiratory microbiota of children with bronchiolitis, especially those with respiratory syncytial virus infection, are altered and differ from that of healthy children. The microbiota pattern in the acute episode could identify those children who will later have other respiratory episodes in the first year of life. Preventive measures could be adopted for this group of infants.