What is known about anaerobic bacteria in CF?

Question

What is known about anaerobic bacteria in CF?

Answer

Dear reader,

Thank you for this interesting question.

Anaerobic bacteria prefer a low-oxygen environment for their survival. This is in contrast to most other bacteria that require oxygen to survive.
Some examples of obligate anaerobic bacteria are Prevotella, Veillonella, Bacteroides, Streptococcus milleri. In the form of biofilms (read: covered with a mucus layer) Pseudomonas can also adapt to a low-oxygen environment.
The culture of anaerobic bacteria requires specialized techniques. Therefore if you need to know whether anaerobic bacteria are present in sputum, you need to specifically request to check for this. That is why the presence of anaerobic bacteria is often underestimated.
In patients with CF, the mucus layer is very dense and thick, and the presence of bacteria and inflammatory cells explains the reduced oxygen in the inside mucus layer. This is the place where anaerobic bacteria like to stay. It is not surprising that anaerobic bacteria can often be cultured from the sputum of patients with CF. They can also be chronically present.
However, the role of these anaerobic bacteria is less clear. There is no significant link between their presence and the occurrence of respiratory exacerbations or long-term lung function decline.
When an infection by anaerobic bacteria is suspected, they must be specifically searched for and the antibiotic treatment should be modified, since anaerobic bacteria are often resistant to antibiotics commonly used in cystic fibrosis.
I hope this answer is sufficiently clear,

Dr. Mieke Boon

25.10.2012