Molecular identification of bacteria in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from children with cystic fibrosis.

ABSTRACT: Culture of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is the gold standard for detection of pathogens in the lower airways in cystic fibrosis (CF). However, current culture results do not explain all clinical observations in CF, including negative culture results during pulmonary exacerbation and inflammation in the absence of pathogens. We hypothesize that organisms not routinely identified by culture occur in the CF airway and may contribute to disease. To test this hypothesis we used a culture-independent molecular approach, based on use of rRNA sequence analysis, to assess the bacterial composition of BALF from children with CF and disease controls (DC). Specimens from 42 subjects (28 CF) were examined, and approximately 6,600 total clones were screened to identify 121 species of bacteria. In

SUBMITTER: Harris JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2154465 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature