Microevolution of P. aeruginosa During CF Lung Infection

Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates obtained over time from cystic fibrosis patients show genotypic and phenotypic changes but retain the ability to induce chronic lung infection.

During chronic infection, microorganisms' regulation of gene expression may be lost, resulting in mutants that are genotypically and phenotypically different from the original infecting strain. In patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), such microevolution has been observed in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The resulting strains have been presumed (although not proven) to be less virulent than the original infecting organisms.

To examine this presumption, researchers in Europe studied 25 sequential strains of P. aeruginosa that were isolated during periods of chronic lung infection from six CF patients over a period of ≤16.3 years. Based on genetic analysis, all isolates from individual patients were clonal. However, intraclonal genetic variations were…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Microevolution of P. aeruginosa During CF Lung Infection

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Reviewing Author