Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40329426›Full record

ArticleMicrobiome2025

Transmission of the human respiratory microbiome and antibiotic resistance genes in healthy populations.

Lili Ren, Jing Yang, Yan Xiao, Li Guo, Jian Rao, Chao Wu, Xinming Wang, Ying Wang, Linfeng Zhang, Li Zhang and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Microbiome, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Lili Ren *National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Jing Yang *Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China.
Yan Xiao *National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Li Guo *National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Jian RaoChangping Laboratory, Beijing, China.
Chao WuNational Health Commission Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Xinming WangNational Health Commission Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Ying WangNational Health Commission Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Linfeng ZhangBeijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China.
Li ZhangBeijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China.
Xiaoqing JiangBeijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China.
Jiaxin ZhongBeijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China.
Jingchuan ZhongNational Health Commission Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Weizhong YangSchool of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Chen WangSchool of Population Medicine and Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Jianwei Wang *National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. wangjw28@163.com.
Mingkun Li *Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China National Center for Bioinformation, Beijing, China. limk@big.ac.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe human microbiome is transmissible between individuals, including pathogens and commensals with metabolic and immune-modulating effects, which could influence susceptibility, severity, and outcomes of both infection and non-infection diseases. However, limited studies of respiratory microbiome transmission within populations have been conducted. Herein, we performed species- and strain-level metagenomic analyses on oropharyngeal (OP) swabs from 1046 healthy urban dwellers across 13 districts, including 111 households with at least two cohabitants, to elucidate the transmission dynamics of the respiratory microbiome within households and communities.

resultsWe found that geographic districts accounted for the greatest variation in the OP microbiome, with unrelated individuals from the same district showing greater microbiome similarity and higher strain-sharing rates than those from different districts. Cohabitants, especially spouses and siblings, exhibited similar microbial abundances and shared more strains, with 16.7% (IQR 0.0-33.3%) of strains shared among cohabitants, compared to 0.0% (IQR 0.0-11.1%) in non-cohabiting pairs (p < 0.05). Both respiratory commensals and opportunistic pathogens were shared among cohabitants. In contrast, no evidence of vertical transmission was detected between mother-offspring pairs. Additionally, the OP microbiome contained diverse antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), with 15.0% linked to mobile genetic elements (MGEs) or plasmids; the flanking sequences of these ARGs were more conserved across species than those of non-MGE-associated ARGs, suggesting horizontal transfer of ARGs among respiratory microorganisms.

conclusionsIn summary, we characterized the transmissible nature of the OP microbiome and the risk of ARG dissemination among respiratory microorganisms. These findings underscore the role of respiratory microbes and ARGs exchange in shaping the microbiome of healthy populations and emphasize their relevance to public health strategies for respiratory health management. Video Abstract.

Indexed as

BacteriaDrug Resistance, MicrobialMicrobiotaOropharynxAdultFamily CharacteristicsFemaleHumansMaleMetagenomeMetagenomicsMiddle AgedYoung AdultAntibiotic resistance genes disseminationMetagenomicsMicrobiome transmissionRespiratory microbiome

Identifiers

PMID40329426
PMCPMC12054256

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.