Research group Pediatric respiratory infection and immunity

Aims

We bring together expertise from diverse backgrounds in biomedical sciences, clinical practice, practical application, and epidemiology. Operating primarily from the Radboudumc in The Netherlands, and maintaining very close collaborations with our colleagues and friends in South Africa and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are united by a common purpose: to improve outcomes for children with respiratory tract infections.

This geographical spread enables us to explore a broad range of factors influencing respiratory tract infection immunity, from nutrition and environmental impacts to ethnic disparities in susceptibility and immunological response. Our collaborative setup fosters knowledge-sharing and cross-cultural learning among team members, enhancing our collective understanding. In addition, our collaborative framework across these three countries offers valuable opportunities for (PhD) students to engage in international exchanges, enriching their perspectives on pediatric respiratory health on a global scale.

• Use respiratory samples as biosensor

  Improved use of clinical respiratory samples as real-time biosensors can transform early diagnosis, predict disease severity, and guide treatment for vulnerable patients with respiratory infections across diverse global settings, with a particular focus on children. While current diagnostic methods for childhood respiratory tract infections primarily rely on blood biomarkers, every respiratory tract infection starts with attachment of the respiratory pathogen to the respiratory epithelial cells. To truly understand the pathophysiology of respiratory tract infections, we focus on characterizing the local immune response at the respiratory mucosal surface. By using easily obtainable and child-friendly respiratory samples such as saliva, we aim to capture real-time insights into mucosal immunity. This will pave the way for novel diagnostic and prognostic approaches.
   

• Identify mucosal immune-based therapies

  We explore the respiratory mucosa’s immunological landscape in children to discover innovative immune-based therapies for pediatric respiratory tract infections. These therapies aim to enhance local immune defense against respiratory pathogens. Through a combination of preclinical studies, translational research and clinical studies including patients we strive to develop targeted interventions that improve respiratory tract infection outcomes for vulnerable children worldwide.

• Population-specific strategies on respiratory infections

  Population-specific strategies are needed to evaluate and test interventions for respiratory infections in vulnerable patients including children globally. As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us, respiratory pathogens do not respect borders. In addition, immune system functioning is affected by multiple factors that can vary between settings, such as nutritional status, environmental triggers, climate, and genetic background. We aim to understand these factors in order to combat respiratory infections in vulnerable populations worldwide.

• Understanding the respiratory mucosal immune response

  In order to combat global respiratory infections, we need to develop interventions based on understanding of the respiratory mucosal immune response. We study the respiratory mucosal immune system to uncover new therapeutic strategies that enhance local protection against respiratory pathogens in children. Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo models, we explore how mucosal immune responses can be stimulated or modulated to prevent or mitigate infection. By translating these findings into mucosally applied immune-based therapies, we aim to improve clinical outcomes and reduce the global impact of paediatric respiratory tract infections.

Publications

See the publication list of the research group leader on Web of Science.

• A selection of our publications

  • S Engels, MEC Tilanus, JJ Euson, N Stastny, C Maria, S Baboe-Kalpoe, F Baboe, CKA Fleming, S Carty-Fleming, S Holaman, K Baan, F Holiday, SCF van den Borne, RF Plantinga, RP Wong Chung, JS van de Maat, MI de Jonge, R Steingrover, LM Verhagen. Association between common pathogens and disease severity, and pathogen specific seasonality in the Caribbean pre- and post-COVID-19: a retrospective study. BMJ Open 2026;16(1):e104991.
  • C Maria, J Kalpoe, AT Tromp, F Koene, D Souverein, S van Roeden, M Tilanus, J Juliet, M Euson, S Carty, S Holaman, S Baboe-Kalpoe, F Baboe, R Plaisier, C Oliveira Dos Santos, A Visser, W van Luling, F Holiday, C Fleming, J van de Maat, PK Klouwenberg, R Steingrover, LM Verhagen. Seasonal dynamics of influenza and RSV in the Caribbean: A call for regionally tailored preventive measures. Int J Infect Dis 2026:166:108498.
  • EAML Mutsaerts, B van Cranenbroek, SA Madhi, E Simonetti, A Arns, L Jose, A Koen, AE van Herwaarden, MI de Jonge, LM Verhagen. Impact of nutritional status on vaccine-induced immunity in children living in South Africa: investigating the B-cell repertoire and metabolic hormones. Vaccine 2024; Apr 17:S0264-410X(24)00448-1.
  • A Redfern, MM van der Zalm, J Lishman, P Goussard, L Smit, R Dagan, M Barday, M Mare, M Claassen, G van Zyl, H Rabie, LM Verhagen. Clinical presentation and outcome of acute respiratory illnesses in South African children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2023;42:672-8.
  • H Wang, X Li, Y Zheng, LM Verhagen, J Gu, L Li, Z Xu, W Wang, MI de Jonge. Concordance in pathogen identification at the upper and lower respiratory tract of children with severe pneumonia. BMC Infect Dis 2023;23:170.
  • KE Siegers, AE van Herwaarden, JH de Waard, B del Nogal, PWM Hermans, D van Tienoven, GAM Berbers, MI de Jonge, LM Verhagen. The metabolic hormone adiponectin affects the correlation between nutritional status and pneumococcal vaccine response in vulnerable indigenous children. PLoS ONE 2022;e0270736.
  • Mwape RK, Barday M-A, van der Zalm MM, Verhagen LM. Overview of mucosal immunity and respiratory infections in children: a focus on Africa. Curr Opin Pediatr 2025;37(2):137-144.
  • MH Koenen, WAA de Steenhuijsen Piters, MI de Jonge, JD Langereis, S Nierkens, MLJN Chu, R van der Woude, RP de Vries, EAM Sanders, D Bogaert, E van der Vries, M Boes, LM Verhagen. Salivary polyreactive antibodies and Haemophilus influenzae are associated with respiratory infection severity in young children with recurrent respiratory infections. Eur Resp J 2024;64(4):2400317.
  • MH Koenen, RCA de Groot, WAA de Steenhuijsen-Piters, MJLN Chu, K Arp, R Hasrat, ACJM de Bruijn, SC Estevao, E van der Vries, JD Langereis, M Boes, D Bogaert, AMC van Rossum, WWJ Unger, LM Verhagen. Mycoplasma pneumoniae carriage in children with recurrent respiratory tract infections is associated with a less diverse and altered microbiota. eBioMedicine 2023;98:104868.
  • MM van der Zalm, NA Sam-Agudu, LM Verhagen. Respiratory adenovirus infections in children: a focus on Africa. Curr Opin Pediatr 2024; 36(3):342-48.