Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2025
Long Term Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Airway Infection in Mice
Published on: March 17, 2014
Clinical and Lung Microbiome Impact of Chronic Versus Intermittent Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection in Bronchiectasis
Laia Fernández-Barat1, Ruben López-Aladid1, Victoria Alcaraz-Serrano1
1CELLEX Research Laboratories, CibeRes (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias, 06/06/0028), Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; School of Medicine, Department of Medicine & Department of Biophysics and Bioengineering, University of Barcelona, Spain; Pulmonology Department, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain.
Background:
In patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (BE) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) has been recently associated with low rather than high number of exacerbations without distinguishing chronic versus intermittent infection. The aim of our study was to determine whether the intermittent or chronic stage of P. aeruginosa (PA) infection is associated with the rate of exacerbations, quality of life and respiratory microbiome biodiversity after a one-year follow-up.
Methods:
We conducted a longitudinal study, with 1-year follow-up, in patients with BE intermittently or chronically infected by PA involving sequential (3-monthly) measurements of microbiological (cultures, PA load, phenotype and biofilms presence) immunological (Serum IgGs against P. aeruginosa were measured by ELISA immunoassay) and clinical variables (Quality-of-Life and the number exacerbations). Additionaly, 16S sequencing was performed on a MiSeq Platform and compared between chronically infected patients with the mucoid PA versus intermittently infected patients with the non-mucoid PA.
Results:
We collected 235 sputa and 262 serum samples from 80 BE patients, 61 with chronic and 19 with intermittent PA infection. Chronically compared to intermittently. Presented reduced quality of life but less hospitalized exacerbations after 1-year follow-up. Chronically infected patients presented reduced sputum biodiversity and higher systemic IgGs against P. aeruginosa levels that were associated to decreased number of hospitalized exacerbations.
Conclusions:
The assessment of Chronic versus intermittent P. aeruginosa infection has clinical implications such as quality of life, rate of hospitalized exacerbations and lung microbiome biodiversity. The distinction of these two phenotypes is easy to perform in clinical practice.
Trial Registration:
NCT04803695.
Insights
Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection in bronchiectasis (BE) patients is linked to lower quality of life but fewer hospitalizations. This distinction impacts patient care and lung microbiome diversity.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Microbiology
- Immunology
Background:
- Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (BE) patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) show varied exacerbation rates.
- Previous studies did not differentiate between chronic and intermittent PA infection stages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if chronic or intermittent PA infection in BE patients correlates with exacerbation rates, quality of life, and respiratory microbiome biodiversity over one year.
- To compare clinical and microbiological outcomes between chronic and intermittent PA infection phenotypes.
Main Methods:
- A 1-year longitudinal study involving 80 BE patients (61 chronic, 19 intermittent PA infection).
- Sequential 3-monthly measurements of microbiological (PA load, phenotype, biofilms), immunological (serum IgGs), and clinical data (Quality-of-Life, exacerbations).
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing for respiratory microbiome analysis, comparing mucoid PA in chronic vs. non-mucoid PA in intermittent infections.
Main Results:
- Chronically infected patients reported reduced quality of life but fewer hospitalized exacerbations compared to intermittently infected patients.
- Chronic PA infection was associated with decreased sputum microbiome biodiversity.
- Higher systemic IgGs against P. aeruginosa correlated with fewer hospitalized exacerbations in chronically infected patients.
Conclusions:
- Distinguishing between chronic and intermittent P. aeruginosa infection in BE patients is clinically significant.
- These infection phenotypes influence quality of life, exacerbation frequency, and lung microbiome diversity.
- This differentiation is readily achievable in clinical practice.
More Related Videos
06:43Studying Microbial Communities In Vivo: A Model of Host-mediated Interaction Between Candida Albicans and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa in the Airways
Published on: January 13, 2016
03:53Growing a Cystic Fibrosis-Relevant Polymicrobial Biofilm to Probe Community Phenotypes
Published on: April 19, 2024
Related Concept Videos
01:30Pneumonia I: Introduction
Risk Factors
Various factors influence the likelihood of developing pneumonia. Age plays a crucial role, with infants, children under two, and individuals over 65 at increased risk due to their...
01:20Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-II: Pathophysiology
Chronic Inflammation
01:25Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-III: Symptoms and Complications.
Symptoms of COPD can be classified as primary or systemic. Primary symptoms relate to reduced airflow, while systemic or extrapulmonary symptoms relate to COPD's broader impact on the body.
Primary Symptoms of COPD:
01:22Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Smoking is a primary risk factor for COPD, with over 80% of patients having a history of it. Patients typically experience progressive dyspnea or labored breathing, frequent coughing, and recurrent pulmonary infections. Many eventually succumb to respiratory failure, characterized by...
01:20Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-I: Introduction
01:29Pneumonia II: Pathophysiology