The structure and dynamics of bacterial communities in the airways of @entity1 with @entity1577 ( @entity1577 ) remain largely unknown. We characterized the bacterial communities in 126 sputum samples representing serial collections spanning 8-9 y from six age-matched male @entity1577 @entity1 . Sputum DNA was analyzed by bar-coded pyrosequencing of the V3-V5 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene, defining 662 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from >633,000 sequences. Bacterial community diversity decreased significantly over time in @entity1 with @entity358 but remained relatively stable in @entity1 with a mild @entity358 phenotype. Antibiotic use, rather than @entity1 age or lung function, was the primary driver of decreasing diversity. Interpatient variability in community structure exceeded intrapatient variability in serial samples. Antibiotic treatment was associated with pronounced shifts in community structure, but communities showed both short- and long-term resilience after antibiotic perturbation. There was a positive correlation between OTU occurrence and relative abundance, with a small number of persistent OTUs accounting for the greatest abundance. Significant changes in community structure, diversity, or total bacterial density at the time of pulmonary exacerbation were not observed. Despite decreasing community diversity in @entity1 with progressive disease, total bacterial density remained relatively stable over time. These findings show the critical relationship between airway bacterial community structure, disease stage, and clinical state at the time of sample collection. These features are the key parameters with which to assess the complex ecology of the @entity1577 airway.

Decade-long bacterial community dynamics in XXXX airways.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient', 'persons'] @entity358 :: ('MESH:D008171', 'Disease') :: ['lung disease', 'typically progressive lung disease'] @entity1577 :: ('MESH:D003550', 'Disease') :: ['cystic fibrosis', 'CF']
@entity1577 :: (MESH:D003550,Disease) :: ['cystic fibrosis']
