A New Approach to Treating Infection

Dr. Michael Surette, of the University of Calgary, studies the communities of bacteria that live in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common species found in these communities and is associated with severe lung infections in people with CF. It can be difficult to treat, and is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

But it seems that P. aeruginosa doesn’t always work alone.

Dr. Surette, along with Dr. Harvey Rabin at the Adult CF Clinic in Calgary, found that a group of previously overlooked and undetected bacteria called Streptococcus milleri group (SMG) enhances the dangerous activity of P. aeruginosa. By using drugs that target SMG, and disrupting the bacterial community, severe lung infections caused by P. aeruginosa could be controlled.

This discovery didn’t stay in the lab for long. Doctors at the Calgary CF Clinic (Foothills Hospital) used this new approach successfully, with patients admitted to hospital with severe lung infections. Patients treated with SMG-targeted therapies quickly returned to a stable state of health.

This research project has led to a new and alternative way of combating severe lung infections and demonstrates the important benefits CF research has on the lives of people with cystic fibrosis.

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Reviewed/updated: 2009-09-29