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

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 anal

SUBMITTER: Sherrard LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6754815 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature