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Recent work has shown that cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are colonized not just by one or two bacterial species but by a community of microorganisms. Which organisms actually cause pulmonary disease in these patients? To address this question, investigators undertook a detailed longitudinal examination of the lower respiratory tract microflora of a single adult CF patient. Using terminal restriction fragment (TRF) polymorphism analysis, they identified the bacterial species present in 46 prospective sputum samples collected throughout an entire year, during stable periods and three pulmonary exacerbations, and in 8 retrospective sputum samples dating back nearly 5 years.
Ninety-two distinct microbial TRF signatures were identified in the res…