Investigation of the in vitro interactions between two common Cystic Fibrosis pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

Abstract

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is one of the most common autosomal disorders in Caucasian populations. This disorder creates a very opportune environment for many pathogens within the patient’s lung. Two common pathogens that infect CF patient’s lungs are Staphylococcus aureusand Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. These two species of bacteria can colonize host environments and establish mats of cells known as biofilms that become very difficult to eradicate with antibiotics. Once inside a CF lung, these pathogens must not only evade the host immune response but they also interact and compete with each other; however, how bacterial pathogens interact inside the host lung has not been well studied. This study will look specifically at the interactions between these two pathogens in vivo. S. maltophilia inhibits S. aureus biofilm formation over time in a dose-dependent manner though the mechanism is still unclear. The findings of this study could provide insight into these interactions between both Staphylococcus aureus and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia