Unraveling respiratory host-microbiota crosstalk: mechanistic insights and clinical perspectives

The human respiratory system, extending from the nasal cavity to the lungs, harbors diverse microbial communities composed of bacteria, viruses, and fungi—collectively known as the respiratory microbiota. These microorganisms contribute to respiratory health by limiting pathogen colonization, shaping immune system development, and producing bioactive metabolites. However, dysbiosis—characterized by disruptions to microbiota composition and function—has been associated with various respiratory diseases, including chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma, and infections. Despite growing interest in the therapeutic potential of modulating the respiratory microbiota, the underlying mechanisms governing host–microbiota interactions remain poorly understood, highlighting the need for more mechanistic and translational research.

This Research Topic seeks to advance understanding of the crosstalk between the respiratory microbiota and the host, exploring their roles in maintaining airway homeostasis and contributing to disease pathogenesis. Key gaps persist concerning how microbial communities influence mucosal immune responses throughout the respiratory tract, how immune mechanisms shape microbial composition and function, and how dysfunction in these interactions drives disease. We aim to gather multidisciplinary contributions providing fundamental, applied, and clinical insights into these processes. Special emphasis will be placed on studies employing innovative experimental approaches to characterize microbial functions, host immune responses, and microbiota-derived metabolites implicated in respiratory health and disease. We also welcome investigations into the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of microbiota-based interventions such as probiotics, postbiotics, and microbiota engineering.

We invite submissions offering mechanistic, translational, and clinical perspectives on respiratory host–microbiota interactions. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

-The role of the respiratory microbiota in shaping mucosal innate and adaptive immunity;
-Communication mechanisms governing host–microbiota interactions;
-Microbiota dysbiosis and its link to respiratory diseases, including chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma, and infections;
-Microbiota-based prevention and treatment strategies for allergic and infectious respiratory disorders.

We welcome Original Research, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, Mini Reviews, and Case Reports that enhance both mechanistic understanding and translational application in this evolving field.

The topic editors declare no conflicts of interest

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Respiratory, Host, Microbiota, Crosstalk, Allergy, Infection

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.