Supplemental Oxygen Alters the Airway Microbiome in Cystic Fibrosis
Jacob Vieira, Sirus Jesudasen, Lindsay Bringhurst, Hui‐Yu Sui, Lauren J. McIver, Katrine Whiteson, Kurt Hanselmann, George A. O’Toole, C. Richards, Leonard Sicilian, Isabel P. Neuringer, Peggy S. Lai
Abstract
The airway microbiome in persons with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) is correlated with lung function and disease severity. Supplemental oxygen use is common in more advanced CF, yet its role in perturbing airway microbial communities is unknown. By culturing sputum samples from pwCF under normal and elevated oxygen conditions, we found that increased oxygen led to reduced total numbers and diversity of microbes, with relative sparing of common CF pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Supplemental oxygen use may enable the growth of lung pathogens and should be further studied in the clinical setting.