Challenges from the Human Microbiome: A Cystic Fibrosis Perspective on Polymicrobial Communities in

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IBI SEMINAR SERIES
Challenges from the Human Microbiome A Cystic
Fibrosis Perspective on Polymicrobial Communities
in Infections Michael G. Surette Professor Canad
a Research Chair in Microbial Gene Expression
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology University of Calgary Tuesday March 4,
2008 1200 Noon Biological Sciences
211 University of Calgary Host Professor Stuart
Kauffman
ABSTRACT The human body is home to a large and
diverse collection of microorganisms that
outnumber the host cells by greater than 10 to1.
Most of these organisms are unknown or at best
poorly studied but as a complex ecology play an
essential role in human development, and in
health and disease. Chronic lower airway
infections in CF cause a progressive
deterioration of lung tissue and ultimately
respiratory failure and death in 90 of CF
patients. A few bacterial species have been
implicated as principle CF pathogens, however
microbiological and molecular evidence suggests
that CF airway infections are polymicrobial
including many organisms considered part of the
normal respiratory tract microbiota. Using
molecular and microbiological approaches, our
recent studies have characterized the temporal
dynamics within these communities and identified
previously uncharacterized pathogens in CF. The
results highlight the clinical benefits of
considering pulmonary exacerbations in CF from a
comprehensive microbiological perspective and the
fundamental challenges of understanding complex
microbial communities within the human microbiome.
Pizza and pop will be provided