Children of Healthcare Workers Show Altered Nasal Microbiome

Having a parent who works in healthcare may be associated with differences in a young child’s nasal microbiome, according to new research.

The pilot study found significantly lower nasal microbial diversity among children with at least one healthcare worker parent compared with children whose parents did not work in healthcare. Differences were particularly pronounced when both parents were healthcare workers, suggesting occupational exposures could potentially influence the microbial environment children encounter at home.

Does Healthcare Work Shape the Home Microbiome?

Healthcare workers can carry microorganisms from clinical environments on their skin, clothing, and personal belongings. As microbial exposure during infancy can influence the developing microbiome, researchers investigated whether parental healthcare work was associated with the composition of children’s nasal microbiota.

The prospective study enrolled 37 healthy children aged 6–24 months and their parents in Lombardy, Italy. Seventeen families had at least one healthcare worker parent, including six in which both parents worked in healthcare, while 20 had no healthcare worker parents.

Researchers collected nasal swabs from children and parents and analysed bacterial communities using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. Analyses accounted for factors including children’s age, sex, siblings, and kindergarten attendance.

Lower Microbial Diversity in Children

Children with healthcare worker parents had significantly lower alpha-diversity across all measures assessed (P≤0.02), indicating reduced diversity within their nasal bacterial communities.

Differences were also observed in individual bacterial groups. Porphyromonas abundance was significantly lower among children of healthcare workers (P=0.003; FDR-adjusted P=0.030), while Neisseria showed a similar trend that did not reach statistical significance.

When researchers grouped children according to whether zero, one, or two parents worked in healthcare, they observed a stepwise decline in microbial diversity. Children with two healthcare worker parents showed the most pronounced differences in both alpha- and beta-diversity.

Interestingly, researchers did not identify significant differences in nasal microbial diversity or taxonomic composition between healthcare worker and non-healthcare worker parents themselves.

Occupational Exposure May Extend Beyond the Workplace

The findings raise the possibility that occupational exposures associated with healthcare work could indirectly influence children’s early microbial environments. Potential explanations include transient introduction of microorganisms into the home or differences in hygiene, cleaning, and other behaviours associated with healthcare employment.

However, the study did not demonstrate direct transmission of microorganisms from healthcare workers to their children.

Importantly, the researchers also did not assess respiratory or allergic outcomes, meaning it remains unclear whether the observed microbiome differences are harmful, beneficial, or clinically neutral.

With only 37 children and a cross-sectional microbiome analysis, the findings are preliminary. Larger longitudinal studies incorporating household environmental sampling will be needed to determine how parental occupation may influence microbial colonisation and whether these differences have implications for children’s respiratory or immune health.

Reference

Ferrari L et al. Bringing work home: the microbiota of children of healthcare workers. Pediatr Res. 2026;DOI: 10.1038/s41390-026-05474-7.