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We tested if disrupting iron utilisation by P. aeruginosa by adding the Tris-buffered chelating agent CaEDTA to nebulised tobramycin would enhance bacterial clearance and improve lung function in CF patients.
Individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) are given antimicrobials as prophylaxis against bacterial lung infection, which contributes to the growing emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens isolated. Pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa that are commonly isolated from individuals with CF are armed with an arsenal of protective and virulence mechanisms, complicating eradication and treatment strategies.
Neutrophil elastase is a significant risk factor for structural lung disease in cystic fibrosis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway infection is linked with neutrophilic inflammation and substantial respiratory morbidity. We aimed to evaluate how neutrophil elastase (NE) activity changes after P. aeruginosa eradication and influences early disease outcomes. We assessed participants in the AREST CF cohort between 2000 and 2018 who had P. aeruginosa cultured from their routine annual bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and who underwent eradication treatment and a post eradication BAL. Factors associated with persistent P. aeruginosa infection, persistent neutrophilic inflammation following eradication and worse structural lung disease one year post-eradication were evaluated.
In this cohort, as compared with the AREST CF cohort, the authors highlight the limited correlation between infection and inflammation with lung function and structural impairment, and that this was mainly explained by the mild changes identified in lung function and on chest CT scan.
Rothwell Family Fellow; Head, Airway Epithelial Research
Two researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia’s Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre have secured lucrative fellowships to advance cutting-edge phage therapy research for people living with cystic fibrosis (CF).
A $350,000 Cure4 Cystic Fibrosis grant is set to propel the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre’s Phage WA program forward, supercharging its fight against antimicrobial resistant (AMR) lung infections in people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) using cutting-edge phage therapy.
A promising new treatment pioneered in Western Australia for people with cystic fibrosis has commenced testing in a clinical trial in the United States and Australia.