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Lung function and microbiota diversity in cystic fibrosis
Leah Cuthbertson1, Alan W Walker2,3, Anna E Oliver4
1National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Microbiome
|April 3, 2020
Summary
Microbiota diversity in cystic fibrosis (CF) lungs decreases as lung function worsens, with dominant CF pathogens increasing. This pattern can help indicate CF disease state.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pulmonology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Chronic infection and airway inflammation are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF).
- Current CF infection control relies on traditional culture-based methods, limiting the use of microbiomics in clinical management.
- Understanding CF lung microbiome ecology is crucial for integrating microbiome approaches into CF care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the generalized ecological patterns of the CF lung microbiome across varying disease severity.
- To determine if decreasing microbiota diversity correlates with worsening lung function in CF patients.
- To explore the potential of microbiome characteristics as indicators of CF lung disease state.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of sputum samples from 299 CF patients across 13 centers in Europe and the USA.
- Assessment of microbiota diversity, dominance, and composition in relation to lung function.
- Stratification of patients by lung disease severity to identify ecological patterns and contributing factors.
Main Results:
- A significant pattern of decreasing microbiota diversity and increasing dominance was observed with reduced lung function.
- Core taxa composition became conserved in severe disease, while rarer taxa contributed to diversity variability.
- Dominant bacterial species shifted towards CF pathogens with decreased lung function and towards other bacteria (e.g., anaerobes) with better lung function.
- Lung function and antibiotic use were identified as key factors explaining microbiota compositional variance.
Conclusions:
- Microbiota diversity, dominance, and dominant species identity, alongside lung function measures, serve as informative indicators of CF disease state.
- These findings support the potential integration of microbiome analysis into clinical management strategies for CF.
- The study highlights the complex ecological dynamics within the CF lung microbiome and its relationship with disease progression.
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