The Microbiome in Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

Observations from studies during the last decade have changed the conventional view of cystic fibrosis (CF) microbiology, which has traditionally focused on a limited suite of opportunistic bacterial pathogens. It is now appreciated that CF airways typically harbor complex microbial communities, and that changes in the structure and activity of these communities have a bearing on patient clinical condition and lung disease progression. Recent studies of gut microbiota also suggest that disordered bacterial ecology of the CF gastrointestinal tract is associated with pulmonary outcomes. These new insights may alter future clinical management of CF.

Keywords: Bacteria; Culture-independent; Fungi; Gut; Lung; Microbiota; Virus.

Fig. 1

Representative example of the heterogeneity between different patients with CF in bacterial community composition of sputum. The relative abundance of the top operational taxonomic units identified in daily sputum samples collected from 4 subjects during periods of clinical stability (white horizontal bars) and onset of exacerbation (black horizontal bars). Symbols below the plots indicate days when maintenance antibiotics were taken. Each plot ends on the day preceding the prescription of antibiotics for treatment of exacerbation.