Scientists have revealed how common respiratory bugs that cause serious infections in people with cystic fibrosis interact together, according to a new study in eLife.
The results provide insights into how bacterial pathogens wrestle each other for territory that could open avenues for new antibacterial treatments. Studies of microbes from mouths, intestines, chronic wounds and chronic respiratory infections show that interactions between bacteria in these communities influence survival of the bugs and progression of disease. For example, infection with two bacterial species called Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) in the airways of cystic fibrosis patients is linked to decreased lung function and a shorter lifespan.
That is interesting . In my time of reading tne CF sputum cultures in a routine lab we didnt find staph and in the one occasion we found large numbers ( not a CF)regarded it as an oral contaminant, and requested a repeat. Are people today ever asked to rinse their mouth before giving a sputum specimen?. I havent myself, though i rarely produce sputum.
So the staph could have been defeated in the battle of the bugs in vitro.
Did this happen in the body too?
This is funny. During my early life haemophillus infuenzae was the bug which regularly laid me low and made me very poorly. Since pseudomonas auriginosa took up residence I have had no haemophillus. I have joked for years that big butch pseudomonus frightened the haemophillus away and of course, my consultants have smiled and dismissed me as slightly touched. And guess what!
This could be the reason most CF patients go into the hospital for "tune ups with IV antibotics every so often. Hopefully, the new Vertex trio will help them with the "bugs" too.
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