Associations of Indoor Microbial and Metabolic Profiles with Allergic Rhinitis among School-aged Children
This study investigates the associations between microbial/metabolic profiles in classroom dust and allergic rhinitis (AR) prevalence among school-aged children in a subtropical region of China.Settled dust samples were collected from classrooms across 45 primary schools. Microbial composition was characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and metabolomic profiles were obtained using untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Classrooms were categorized into high and low AR prevalence groups based on student questionnaires.Differences in microbial community structure were observed between the high and low AR prevalence classrooms. Several bacterial genera showed differential abundance between groups. Metabolomic analysis identified numerous differentially abundant metabolites. Mediation analysis indicated that the associations between some key bacterial genera and AR prevalence were partially mediated through specific metabolic pathways.This dataset supports the investigation of indoor environmental exposures and childhood allergic rhinitis in a subtropical setting.