Exoproducts of the Most Common Species in Cystic Fibrosis Evoke Similar Inflammatory Responses .

is a genus of Gram-negative rods, which can cause persistent airway infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). The knowledge about virulence and clinical implications of is still limited, and it is not fully established whether infections contribute to disease progression or if it is a marker of poor lung function. The most commonly reported species in CF is A. xylosoxidans. While other spp. are also identified in CF airways, the currently used Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time Of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) method in routine diagnostics cannot distinguish between species. Differences in virulence between species have consequently not been well studied. In this study, we compare phenotypes and proinflammatory properties of A. xylosoxidans, , , and using models. Bacterial supernatants were used to stimulate CF bronchial epithelial cells and whole blood from healthy individuals. Supernatants from the well-characterized CF-pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa were included for comparison. Inflammatory mediators were analyzed with ELISA and leukocyte activation was assessed using flow cytometry. The four species differed in morphology seen in scanning electron microscopy (SEM), but there were no observed differences in swimming motility or biofilm formation. Exoproducts from all species except caused significant IL-6 and IL-8 secretion from CF lung epithelium. The cytokine release was equivalent or stronger than the response induced by P. aeruginosa. All species activated neutrophils and monocytes in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-independent manner. Our results indicate that exoproducts of the four included species do not differ consistently in causing inflammatory responses, but they are equally or even more capable of inducing inflammation compared with the classical CF pathogen P. aeruginosa. Achromobacter xylosoxidans is an emerging pathogen among people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Current routine diagnostic methods are often unable to distinguish A. xylosoxidans from other species, and the clinical relevance of different species is still unknown. In this work, we show that four different species relevant to CF evoke similar inflammatory responses from airway epithelium and leukocytes , but they are all equally or even more proinflammatory compared to the classic CF-pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results suggest that species are important airway pathogens in CF, and that all species are relevant to treat.