Principal Investigator:

Lay Description:

Colonization of the upper part of the human respiratory tract (back of the nose and throat) by microorganisms is an important predictor for the development of pneumonia and wheezing illness (which may lead to asthma) in young children. Despite this, relatively little is known about patterns of colonization in early life, nor how these patterns influence the development of respiratory illness. We aim to address these issues by describing in details the various bacteria and viruses that are present in the upper airways in early life and the relationship between these colonization patterns and the development of pneumonia and wheezing illness.