Frontiers in Pediatrics (Oct 2022)

Association of citrulline concentration at birth with lower respiratory tract infection in infancy: Findings from a multi-site birth cohort study

  • Brittney M. Snyder,
  • Tebeb Gebretsadik,
  • Kedir N. Turi,
  • Christopher McKennan,
  • Suzanne Havstad,
  • Daniel J. Jackson,
  • Carole Ober,
  • Susan Lynch,
  • Kathryn McCauley,
  • Christine M. Seroogy,
  • Edward M. Zoratti,
  • Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey,
  • Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey,
  • Sergejs Berdnikovs,
  • Gary Cunningham,
  • Marshall L. Summar,
  • James E. Gern,
  • Tina V. Hartert,
  • Tina V. Hartert,
  • on behalf of the ECHO-CREW investigators

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2022.979777
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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Assessing the association of the newborn metabolic state with severity of subsequent respiratory tract infection may provide important insights on infection pathogenesis. In this multi-site birth cohort study, we identified newborn metabolites associated with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in the first year of life in a discovery cohort and assessed for replication in two independent cohorts. Increased citrulline concentration was associated with decreased odds of LRTI (discovery cohort: aOR 0.83 [95% CI 0.70–0.99], p = 0.04; replication cohorts: aOR 0.58 [95% CI 0.28–1.22], p = 0.15). While our findings require further replication and investigation of mechanisms of action, they identify a novel target for LRTI prevention and treatment.

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