Biofilm Dispersal and Exacerbations of Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease

摘要

We read with interest the recent comments by VanDevanter et al. on the relative contributions of biofilm-dwelling and planktonic, that is, free living forms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to acute exacerbations of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. The concept put forward of "bacterial blooms" involving generation of more motile daughter cells from established biofilms is biologically plausible. Indeed, this process has recently been described in flow-thru models of P. aeruginosa biofilms using clinical isolates from adult CF patients and the term "seeding dispersal" applied. There are suggestions that seeding dispersal is controlled by the quorum sensing system and may be triggered by a variety of factors including depletion of crucial nutrients or potential build up of toxins within the depths ("core") of mature biofilms. There is also the possibly that dispersal occurs as a consequence of phage-mediated cell lysis.