Bacteria evolve differences within the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis
Thursday, August 20, 2015 - 12:30
in Health & Medicine
Treatments for the same opportunistic bacteria found in cystic fibrosis patients can work in one area in the lung and be less effective in others. The reason, researchers report, is that bacteria become isolated from one another and evolve region-specific traits. Researchers saw differences in bacterial nutritional requirements, host defenses, and antibiotic resistance. The findings suggest that other chronic infections may yield similar bacterial diversity.