Clinically relevant pathogens are often tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using standard laboratory media that poorly reflect the in vivo environments in which they cause infections, leading to ...

Background Cystic fibrosis (CF) has profoundly changed since the introduction of CF Transmembrane Conductance Regulator modulator therapies (CFTRmt), a class of medications that improve function of th...

Recent data support the existence of a “gut-lung axis” (GLA), yet it’s role in chronic respiratory diseases, like cystic fibrosis (CF), is under inves…

Sputum analysis is the standard method for microbiological surveillance in cystic fibrosis (CF). However, CFTR modulator therapy has markedly reduced …

PhD Project - Interrogating microbiomes and metabolomes during P. aeruginosa infiltration and colonisation in CF respiratory tract infection at Manchester Metropolitan University, listed on FindAPhD.c...

The airway microbiota plays a crucial role in CF pathophysiology, with altered microbial composition associated with lung disease severity and progression [1–3]. Traditionally, sputum analysis has bee...

FindAPhD. Search Funded PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships in tunney. Search for PhD funding, scholarships & studentships in the UK, Europe and around the world.

This study explored the relationship between total bacterial density, airway microbiota composition and clinical parameters in bronchiectasis. We dete…

FindAPhD. Search Funded PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships at University of Birmingham, Department of Microbes, Infections and Microbiomes.

COPD is a heterogeneous disease of the lungs characterised by restricted airflow. Chronic inflammation and recurrent bacterial infections are known to be important driving factors in exacerbations of this disease. Despite a marked increase in the number of alveolar macrophages present in the lungs of COPD patients, there is evidence of reduced clearance of pathogenic bacteria, leading to recurrent infection, exacerbation and subsequent lung function decline. This is thought to be attributed to a defect in the phagocytic capability of both alveolar and monocyte-derived macrophages in COPD. In addition to this defect, there is apparent selectivity in bacterial uptake by COPD macrophages because certain pathogenic genera, such as Haemophilus, Moraxella and Streptococcus, are taken up more readily than others. The respiratory microbiome plays a key role in regulating the host immune response both in health and during chronic inflammation. In patients with COPD, there are distinct changes in the composition of the respiratory microbiome, particularly the lower respiratory tract, where dominance of clinically relevant pathogenic species is commonly observed. Whether there are links between these changes in the microbiome and dysfunctional macrophage phagocytosis has not yet been widely studied. This review aims to discuss what is currently known about these phenomena and to explore interactions between macrophages and the respiratory microbiome.