Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most hereditary diseases in the Caucasian population affecting one in 2900 newborns. Clinical consequences of the mutation are chronic recurrent bacterial infections of the airways which lead to lung insufficiency and preterm death. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the first pathogens which colonizes and infects the lungs of CF patients. Although patients are treated with antistaphylococcal antibiotics, in many patients the same S. aureus clone can be isolated from the lungs of individual CF patients for many years. During the persistence mutations, genome rearrangements and evolution of important genes can be observed as adaptive mechanisms to the hostile environment thereby conferring long-term persistence.
Privatdozentin Dr. med. Barbara Kahl hat an der Universität Münster in medizinischer Mikrobiologie promoviert. Zur Zeit ist sie am Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie des Universitätsklinikums Münster tätig. Frau Kahl ist Vorstandsmitglied im Arbeitskreis Forschungsgemeinschaft Mukoviszidose des Vereins Mukoviszidose e.V.
Moderation: Professor Dr. Barbara M. Bröker