The microbiota of the respiratory tract: gatekeeper to respiratory health.
The respiratory tract is a complex organ system that is responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The human respiratory tract spans from the nostrils to the lung alveoli and is inhabited by niche-specific communities of bacteria. The microbiota of the respiratory tract probably acts as a gatekeeper that provides resistance to colonization by respiratory pathogens. The respiratory microbiota might also be involved in the maturation and maintenance of homeostasis of respiratory physiology and immunity. The ecological and environmental factors that direct the development of microbial communities in the respiratory tract and how these communities affect respiratory health are the focus of current research. Concurrently, the functions of the microbiome of the upper and lower respiratory tract in the physiology of the human host are being studied in detail. In this Review, we will discuss the epidemiological, biological and functional evidence that support the physiological role of the respiratory microbiota in the maintenance of human health.
Department of Pediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Lundlaan 6, 3584 EA Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Spaarne Gasthuis Academy, Spaarnepoort 1, 2134 TM, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands.
Wing Ho
WH
Man
Department of Pediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Lundlaan 6, 3584 EA Utrecht, The Netherlands.|The University of Edinburgh/MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK.
Wouter A A
WA
de Steenhuijsen Piters
Department of Pediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Lundlaan 6, 3584 EA Utrecht, The Netherlands.|The University of Edinburgh/MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK.
Debby
D
Bogaert
D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D064307:Microbiota / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology*; D013559:Symbiosis