City Research Online

Abstract

Through the development of next-generation sequencing, it was demonstrated that the lungs are inhabited by resident bacteria and possess a unique microbiome. The airway epithelium and the airway surface liquid (ASL) play a vital role in maintaining a healthy microbiome and suppressing the growth of pathogenic species.

Glucose concentration in ASL is much lower than that of blood. It was proposed that low glucose concentration contributes to innate protection against the growth of pathogenic organisms, which can utilise glucose for growth. Studies demonstrated that increased glucose concentration in ASL in vitro and in animals with diabetes led to increase in the growth of pathogenic bacteria. However, there is limited data on the effects of diabetes on the lung microbiome in people or animals.

This thesis investigated the following: 1) The use of diabetic mouse models to study the effects of diabetes on the lung microbiome. 2) The use of cystic fibrosis (CF) sputum to study the effects of diabetes on the lung microbiome. 3) The use of artificial sputum medium to study the effects of hyperglycaemia on the common lung pathogens in vitro. 4) The use of oral washes as a non-invasive proxy to study the lung microbiome.

Results demonstrated that 1) Diabetes changes the lung microbiome in mice and enhances the growth of specific pathogens. 2) Diabetes modifies the human sputum microbiome in CF. 3) Hyperglycaemia did not affect the growth of either Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa when grown in co-culture in the artificial sputum medium. 4) Changes in the sputum microbiome are not reflected in the oral wash samples.

This thesis highlights how diabetic hyperglycaemia changes the lung microbiome and can affect the abundance of pathogens in the lungs.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General) R Medicine > R Medicine (General) R Medicine > RB Pathology
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences > Infection and Immunity Research Institute School of Health & Medical Sciences > School of Health & Medical Sciences Doctoral Theses Doctoral Theses

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