The associations were further examined in a multivariate sparse PLS model with cross-validation, which showed a strong association between the bacterial asthma score and the immune mediators (Spearman’s correlation 0.18, linear model p < 0.0001), with TNF-α, IL-1β, CCL2, and CCL17 being the most important variables in the model (Supplementary Fig. 8). Here, CCL17 is linked to asthma.