The Journal of Practical Medicine ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (20): 3297-3304.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2025.20.021

• Reviews • Previous Articles    

The microbe-immune-virus regulatory network in pediatric asthma:From mechanism to clinic

Xu QIN,Lihong. SUN()   

  1. Department of Pediatric Pulmonology,the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University,National Center for Respiratory Medicine,National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease,State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease,Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health,Guangzhou 510163,Guangdong,China
  • Received:2025-08-20 Online:2025-10-25 Published:2025-11-05
  • Contact: Lihong. SUN E-mail:sunlihong9797@126.com

Abstract:

Pediatric asthma is a complex and heterogeneous disease, with susceptibility in early life co-shaped by the interplay of host genetics, environmental exposures, microbial colonization, and immune development. Early-life airway viral infections are a well-established risk factor, though their pathogenic effects are highly host-dependent. Emerging evidence indicates that the gut microbiome remotely regulates pulmonary immune homeostasis via metabolites such as butyrate (the gut-lung axis), playing a pivotal role in the disease trajectory. Multi-omics research has expanded the scope of this regulatory network, identifying cross-kingdom microbial members, including the gut virome (phages) and protozoa. These members influence asthma susceptibility by activating specific immune pathways, such as the Tfh13-IgE axis and innate immune memory. Crucially, many children exposed to risk factors remain healthy, highlighting the roles of individual resilience and protective factors. Elucidating this network is crucial for clarifying disease heterogeneity and provides a basis for developing novel biomarkers (e.g., the oropharyngeal microbiome, serum Extracellular Vesicles [EVs]) and constructing multi-dimensional risk prediction models integrating artificial intelligence. This research ultimately aims to advance personalized precision prevention and management for pediatric asthma.

Key words: childhood asthma, early life, microbe-immune network, gut-lung axis, precision medicine

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