About this Research Topic
Airways dilatations are known as bronchiectasis and believed to be a consequence of respiratory infections. Previously considered a rare disease, bronchiectasis is raising attention for its increasing incidence. While the exact reasons for this rise are unclear, the concurrent increase in non-tuberculous mycobacterial respiratory infections has been postulated as a potential cause, because they have often been clinically linked to bronchiectasis. Furthermore, the presence of bronchiectasis in tuberculosis cases suggests that all mycobacteria may induce this condition.
Normally, microorganisms are efficiently removed from the airways by mucociliary action. However, when this clearance mechanism is compromised, pathogens can establish and multiply. Recent discoveries in the formation of mycobacterial biofilms may explain the chronic nature of these infections and their participation in bronchiectasis development. Although mycobacteria are not always isolated from respiratory samples of bronchiectasis patients, metagenomic analyses of lung microbiomes indicate that they are more prevalent than previously thought.
Bronchiectasis has traditionally been considered an irreversible condition and, at present, it cannot be cured. Nonetheless, new therapeutic innovations for cystic fibrosis have been able to restore bronchiectatic airways in a number of patients, providing hope for effective bronchiectasis treatments. Antibiotics are frequently used to treat bronchiectasis patients, but they often fail to completely eradicate pathogens from the lungs, and may lead to antibiotic resistance. This necessitates the search for complementary therapeutic approaches. Strategies to impair biofilm growth, improve mucociliary clearance, and remove existing biofilms, may be effective in hindering further bronchiectasis development, potentially solving the clinical problem in the long term or at least improving the outcomes of conventional treatments. Finally, the involvement of nontuberculous mycobacteria in the formation of bronchiectasis in connective tissue diseases, particularly in conditions such as Lady Windermere syndrome, may be significant and warrants further investigations.
Mycobacteria are currently nearly 200 species. Nevertheless, the number of species inextricably linked to bronchiectasis is limited, which suggest that this small group share pathogenic mechanisms that are not present in all of the environmental species.
Researchers are invited to submit original articles or reviews that will shed light on the relationship between mycobacteria and bronchiectasis, including clinical studies and basic research. Special focus will be given (but is not restricted) to:
- The clinical association between nontuberculous mycobacteria and bronchiectasis
- Mycobacterial biofilms: In vitro development, clinical descriptions and therapeutic approaches for their removal or prevention.
- Mycobacterial infections in disorders affecting mucociliary clearance.
- Reports providing evidence of the link between mycobacteria and bronchiectasis.
- Mycobacterial pathogenic mechanisms involved in the formation and development of bronchiectasis.
Topic Editor Dr. Jaime Esteban Moreno has received grants from BioMérieux and grants from Vircell.
Normally, microorganisms are efficiently removed from the airways by mucociliary action. However, when this clearance mechanism is compromised, pathogens can establish and multiply. Recent discoveries in the formation of mycobacterial biofilms may explain the chronic nature of these infections and their participation in bronchiectasis development. Although mycobacteria are not always isolated from respiratory samples of bronchiectasis patients, metagenomic analyses of lung microbiomes indicate that they are more prevalent than previously thought.
Bronchiectasis has traditionally been considered an irreversible condition and, at present, it cannot be cured. Nonetheless, new therapeutic innovations for cystic fibrosis have been able to restore bronchiectatic airways in a number of patients, providing hope for effective bronchiectasis treatments. Antibiotics are frequently used to treat bronchiectasis patients, but they often fail to completely eradicate pathogens from the lungs, and may lead to antibiotic resistance. This necessitates the search for complementary therapeutic approaches. Strategies to impair biofilm growth, improve mucociliary clearance, and remove existing biofilms, may be effective in hindering further bronchiectasis development, potentially solving the clinical problem in the long term or at least improving the outcomes of conventional treatments. Finally, the involvement of nontuberculous mycobacteria in the formation of bronchiectasis in connective tissue diseases, particularly in conditions such as Lady Windermere syndrome, may be significant and warrants further investigations.
Mycobacteria are currently nearly 200 species. Nevertheless, the number of species inextricably linked to bronchiectasis is limited, which suggest that this small group share pathogenic mechanisms that are not present in all of the environmental species.
Researchers are invited to submit original articles or reviews that will shed light on the relationship between mycobacteria and bronchiectasis, including clinical studies and basic research. Special focus will be given (but is not restricted) to:
- The clinical association between nontuberculous mycobacteria and bronchiectasis
- Mycobacterial biofilms: In vitro development, clinical descriptions and therapeutic approaches for their removal or prevention.
- Mycobacterial infections in disorders affecting mucociliary clearance.
- Reports providing evidence of the link between mycobacteria and bronchiectasis.
- Mycobacterial pathogenic mechanisms involved in the formation and development of bronchiectasis.
Topic Editor Dr. Jaime Esteban Moreno has received grants from BioMérieux and grants from Vircell.
Keywords: Biofilm, mucociliary clearance, nontuberculous mycobacteria, bronchiectasis, connective tissue diseases, tuberculosis, Lady Windermere syndrome
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