Ecological networking of cystic fibrosis lung infections

Abstract

Cystic fibrosis: the role of microbial ecology Studying the varying ecology of complex microbial infections in the lungs may help guide treatment options in cystic fibrosis. The disease is complicated due to infection with a diverse community of pathogenic microorganisms. The success of treatments based on identifying and targeting specific microbes can be unpredictable due to the effects of interactions within the mixed microbial ecosystem. Stefanie Widder at the University of Vienna together with Robert Quinn and co-workers in the USA, studied these interactions in six specific cases of cystic fibrosis using lung infection samples gathered over 10 years. They identified three main groups of bacteria involved and developed several hypotheses about inter-relationships that can affect the success of antibiotic treatments. The researchers argue that their new hypotheses and overall ‘ecological theory’ will lead to more-reliable predictions of the likely benefits of specific treatment regimes.