Classroom pest management shifts microbiome, tied to less asthma morbidity

An ancillary analysis of a randomized placebo-controlled trial examined effects of school-based integrated pest management (IPM) and classroom air purifiers on classroom dust microbiomes in 41 schools with 236 children with physician-diagnosed asthma. The study reported that IPM altered bacterial and phage community structure and increased microbial diversity, and identified a classroom microbiome signature of IPM associated with lower odds of asthma symptom days (odds ratio 0.47) and lower Composite Asthma Severity Index scores, independent of mouse allergen levels. The authors concluded that IPM-associated microbiome changes were linked to reduced asthma morbidity separate from mouse allergen exposure.

Most relevant for: School-aged children with physician-diagnosed asthma attending schools with mouse allergen exposure and pest management interventions.

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