title: The microbiome in pediatric cystic fibrosis patients: the role of shared environment suggests a window of intervention.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the CFTR gene that predispose the airway to infection. Chronic infection by pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa leads to inflammation that gradually degrades lung function, resulting in morbidity and early mortality. In a previous study of CF monozygotic twins, we demonstrate that genetic modifiers significantly affect the establishment of persistent P. aeruginosa colonization in CF. Recognizing that bacteria other than P. aeruginosa contribute to the CF microbiome and associated pathology, we used deep sequencing of sputum from pediatric monozygotic twins and nontwin siblings with CF to characterize pediatric bacterial communities and the role that genetics plays in their evolution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that the microbial communities in sputum from pediatric patients living together were much more alike than those from pediatric individuals living apart, regardless of whether samples were taken from monozygous twins or from nontwin CF siblings living together, which we used as a proxy for dizygous twins. In contrast, adult communities were comparatively monolithic and much less diverse than the microbiome of pediatric patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, these data and other recent studies suggest that as patients age, the CF microbiome becomes less diverse, more refractory to treatment and dominated by mucoid P. aeruginosa, as well as being associated with accelerated pulmonary decline. Our studies show that the microbiome of pediatric patients is susceptible to environmental influences, suggesting that interventions to preserve the community structure found in young CF patients might be possible, perhaps slowing disease progression.
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 615 Remsen Building, N. College St., Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
authors: Thomas H
authors: TH
authors: Hampton
authors: Division of Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, 350 Hanes House, DUMC Box 102360, Durham NC, USA.
authors: Deanna M
authors: DM
authors: Green
authors: McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1800 Orleans St., Baltimore MD, USA.
authors: Garry R
authors: GR
authors: Cutting
authors: Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors: Hilary G
authors: HG
authors: Morrison
authors: Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
authors: Mitchell L
authors: ML
authors: Sogin
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 615 Remsen Building, N. College St., Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
authors: Alex H
authors: AH
authors: Gifford
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 615 Remsen Building, N. College St., Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
authors: Bruce A
authors: BA
authors: Stanton
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 202 Remsen Building, N. College St., Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
authors: George A
authors: GA
authors: O'Toole
keywords: Cystic fibrosis; Microbiome; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Sputum