The Guild Model of CF Airway Microbial Ecology

Authors

• Sage J. Dunham, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
• Gregory A. Willkeen, Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA.
• Ben Darby, Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA.
• Jodi M. Corley, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, USA.
• Andrea Hahn, Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
• Isaac Klapper, Department of Mathematics, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Heather D. Bean, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.
• Lindsay J. Caverly, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
• Christina S. Thornton, Department of Medicine and Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
• Christian Martin, Centro de Biodiversidad y Descubrimiento de Drogas, Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología, City of Knowledge, Panama City, Republic of Panama.
• Robert A. Quinn, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
• Stefanie Widder, Department of Medicine 1, Research Division Infection Biology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
• Barbara A. Bailey, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA.
• Brandie D. Wagner, Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA.
• Neha Garg, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
• Paul J. Planet, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
• Ryan C. Hunter, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA.
• John J. LiPuma, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
• Forest Rohwer, Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA.
• Katrine L. Whiteson, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

4-30-2026

Journal

mBio

DOI

10.1128/mbio.03668-25

Keywords

airway microbiome; cystic fibrosis; ecological guilds; ecological modeling; host–microbe interactions; microbial ecology; polymicrobial infections

Abstract

Ecological guilds are groups of organisms that utilize the same class of resources and occupy similar niches, regardless of their taxonomic identities. Here we propose the Guild Model for Cystic Fibrosis Airway Microbial Ecology, which considers the ecological function and wider role of each microbe in the ecosystem. This model consists of four functional guilds: (i) "Brewers" metabolize host-derived substrates (e.g., mucins) and produce fermentation products; (ii) "Drunkards" exploit the metabolic niche built by Brewers, consuming fermentation products and secreting exopolysaccharides to build biofilms; (iii) "Putrifiers" produce toxic compounds causing inflammation and tissue necrosis; and (iv) "Nihilists" are specialist pathogens characterized by intracellular or lytic life cycles and cytotoxin production. By focusing on microbial function and the broader community context, this model offers a refined framework for interpreting cystic fibrosis airway ecology. Although developed for CF, the Guild Model is adaptable to other diseases influenced by microbial ecology.

APA Citation

Dunham, Sage J.; Willkeen, Gregory A.; Darby, Ben; Corley, Jodi M.; Hahn, Andrea; Klapper, Isaac; Bean, Heather D.; Caverly, Lindsay J.; Thornton, Christina S.; Martin, Christian; Quinn, Robert A.; Widder, Stefanie; Bailey, Barbara A.; Wagner, Brandie D.; Garg, Neha; Planet, Paul J.; Hunter, Ryan C.; LiPuma, John J.; Rohwer, Forest; and Whiteson, Katrine L., "The Guild Model of CF Airway Microbial Ecology" (2026). GW Authored Works. Paper 9003.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/9003

Department

Pediatrics