Environment in the Lung of Cystic Fibrosis Patients Stimulates the Expression of Biofilm Phenotype in

Pulmonary infections caused by organisms of the complex are increasingly prevalent in populations at risk, such as patients with cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis and emphysema. infection of the lung is not observed in immunocompetent individuals, which raises the possibility that the compromised lung environment is a suitable niche for the pathogen to thrive in due to the overproduction of mucus and high amounts of host cell lysis. Evaluate the ability of to form biofilm and grow utilizing conditions as seen in immunocompromised lungs of patients. We compared biofilm formation and protein composition in the presence and absence of synthetic cystic fibrosis medium (SCFM) and evaluated the bacterial growth when exposed to human DNA. is capable of forming biofilm in SCFM. By eliminating single components found in the medium, it became clear that magnesium works as a signal for the biofilm formation, and chelation of the divalent cations resulted in the suppression of biofilm formation. Investigation of the specific proteins expressed in the presence of SCFM and in the presence of SCFM lacking magnesium revealed many different proteins between the conditions. also exhibited growth in SCFM and in the presence of host cell DNA, although the mechanism of DNA utilization remains unclear. conditions mimicking the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis appear to facilitate establishment of infection, and elimination of magnesium from the environment may affect the ability of the pathogen to establish infection.