Collecting Bacteria to Conquer Cystic Fibrosis

For the past 30 years, researchers in Dr. David Speert’s laboratory at BC Children’s Hospital have been collecting and storing bacteria samples in the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Repository. Their research has led to the publication of over 100 scientific papers and to major changes in patient care.

Researchers have used the repository to carry out experiments that have contributed to national infection control guidelines and improvements that have advanced the detection of bacterial infections by region. Dr. Speert has also identified a number of factors in the lungs that create an environment favourable to the growth of bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia complex in CF patients.

Highlights of research discoveries from the Cystic Fibrosis Repository:

• Identified key features of Pseudomonas bacteria that are unique to CF lung infections. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8300217
   
• Designed a new method for identifying B. cepacia in the laboratory. This method allows quicker detection of bacteria so doctors can treat infections in CF patients sooner and determine whether a patient needs to be isolated from other patients. This method was later recommended by international microbiology experts to CF clinics worldwide as the most effective way to identify B. cepacia. 
  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9041399
   
• Located a genetic marker for several strains of B. cepacia, allowing scientists to identify which strains are more harmful to people with CF and administer more personalized treatments. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9157133
   
• Discovered that using a specific antibiotic to treat patients infected with a specific strain of B. cepacia can increase the bacteria’s resistance to other antibiotics. This could help doctors determine the most effective treatment for CF patients who have this bacterial strain.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21321142
   
• Increased our understanding of how Burkholderia can survive some of the most powerful antibiotics. http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/short/201002-0203OCv1
   

The impact of Dr. Speert’s work is evident in the increased median age of survival in Canadians with CF from age 22 in the 70s to over 40 years of age today. This research is very exciting considering most cystic fibrosis-related deaths are due to lung disease caused by chronic lung infections.

Cystic Fibrosis Canada invests significantly in research related to infection in cystic fibrosis. In 2011-2012, Cystic Fibrosis Canada invested more than $1.4 million on 22 projects investigating different microorganisms and aspects of infection. This research may lead to treatments that fight these organisms and help Canadians with cystic fibrosis live longer, healthier lives.

Cystic Fibrosis Canada has contributed over $1 million to Dr. Speert’s research and invests $20 thousand each year to support the CF Repository.

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Reviewed/updated: 2012-01-12