Assessment of stability and fluctuations of cultured lower airway bacterial communities in people with cystic fibrosis

Laura J Sherrard, Gisli G Einarsson, Elinor Johnston, Katherine O'Neill, Leanne McIlreavey, Stephanie J McGrath, Deirdre F Gilpin, Damian G Downey, Alastair Reid, Noel G McElvaney, Richard C Boucher, Marianne S Muhlebach, J. Stuart Elborn, Michael M Tunney

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)
170 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Routine clinical culture detects a subset of the cystic fibrosis (CF) airways microbiota based on culture-independent (molecular) methods. This study aimed to determine how extended sputum culture of viable bacteria changes over time in relation to clinical status and predicts exacerbations.

METHODS: Sputa from patients at a baseline stable and up to three subsequent time-points were analysed by extended-quantitative culture; aerobe/anaerobe densities, ecological indexes and community structure were assessed together with clinical outcomes.

RESULTS: Eighty patients were prospectively recruited. Sputa were successfully collected and cultured at 199/267 (74.5%) study visits. Eighty-two sputa from 25 patients comprised a complete sample-set for longitudinal analyses. Bacterial density, ecological indexes and clinical outcomes were unchanged in 18 patients with three sequential stable visits. Conversely, in 7 patients who had an exacerbation, total bacterial and aerobe densities differed over four study visits (P < .001) with this difference particularly apparent between the baseline visit and completion of acute antibiotic treatment where a decrease in density was observed. Bacterial communities were more similar within than between patients but stable patients had the least variation in community structure over time. Using logistic regression in a further analysis, baseline features in 37 patients without compared to 15 patients with a subsequent exacerbation showed that clinical measures rather than bacterial density or ecological indexes were independent predictors of an exacerbation.

CONCLUSIONS: Greater fluctuation in the viable bacterial community during treatment of an exacerbation than between stable visits was observed. Extended-quantitative culture did not provide prognostic information of a future exacerbation.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of cystic fibrosis : official journal of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society
Early online date21 Mar 2019
DOIs
Publication statusEarly online date - 21 Mar 2019

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2019 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Assessment of stability and fluctuations of cultured lower airway bacterial communities in people with cystic fibrosis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this