People with cystic fibrosis (CF) have mucus build up in the lungs that make them susceptible to infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Over time, constant bacterial infections often lead to pulmonary exacerbations and permanent lung damage.
The main bacterium that affects people with CF is Pseudomonas aeruginosa and — while there are good treatments available — various drug-resistant strains have developed that make treatment difficult. Access to anti-microbial tools can aid researchers in the discovery of new anti-infective treatments.
Certain research tools, such as clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa, Burkholderia. cepacia, and other bacterial strains can be obtained for CF research purposes.
On this page:
Model Systems for CF Antimicrobial Research
In vivo murine models to study anti-microbial agents in CF
Contact:
Tracey Bonfield, Ph.D. D (ABMLI)
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Case Western Reserve University
Tel: 216-368-6896
References:
Microbial Resources
Clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa (bacterial strains isolated from the lungs of people with CF) are recommended for research areas including new drug discovery, biofilm research, virulence studies, drug resistance studies, etc.
CF isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Achromobacter xylosoxidans also are available.
Contact:
Jane L. Burns, M.D.
Professor, Department of Pediatrics
University of Washington School of Medicine
Division Chief, Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Seattle Children's Research Institute
Tel: (206) 987-2073
Fax: (206) 884-7311
B. cepacia complex and other non-fermenting bacterial isolates can be requested from Dr. John LiPuma who maintains a bacterial repository for the CF clinical research community.
Contact:
John J. LiPuma, M.D.
Professor, Associate Chair for Research
Department of Pediatrics
University of Michigan
Tel: (734) 936-9767
Fax: (734) 764-4279
References:
Microbial Informatics
Following sequencing of the P. aeruginosa genome, an annotated database (Pseudomonas Genome Database) was constructed to serve as a central portal through which researchers may access high quality genome-associated information about P. aeruginosa and its potential drug/vaccine targets.
Moreover, Affymetrix genome microarrays were made available for understanding P. aeruginosa gene expression under many different conditions.
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