‘Superbugs’ and life-threatening lung infection in Cystic Fibrosis

About the consortium

The UK Cystic Fibrosis Microbiology Consortium brought together scientists and clinicians with internationally recognised experience of CF lung disease and complementary expertise. Funded by grants from the Big Lottery Fund and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, the consortium, led by Professor John Govan of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Infectious Diseases, undertook a programme of research that aimed to promote the social and economic inclusion of children and young adults with cystic fibrosis. The research focused on three major areas that are of imminent and important clinical relevance to people with CF:

1. Early and rapid diagnosis of pulmonary infections to enable rapid implementation of appropriate antibiotic therapies and infection control procedures
2. Use of bacterial genomics to identify and characterize genes and gene clusters responsible for virulence and transmission of the major CF pathogens
3. Characterization of the mechanisms of resistance to antimicrobial agents that are evident in the major CF pathogens, and the development of novel antimicrobials and / or antimicrobial combinations
   

The Consortium was funded for a three-year period, and funding ceased in October 2008.

However, the ultimate goals of the Microbiology Consortium remain alive, and research is continuing in the member laboratories around the UK. Together, the Consortium is committed to furthering our understanding of the infections of the CF lung, and how we can improve the diagnosis and treatment of these infections and thus improve the quality of life of CF patients. In October 2010, Consortium members met at the University of Liverpool to discuss current developments and challenges in CF microbiology research (see News).

For summaries of the main research outcomes arising from the Microbiology Consortium, see Research.