The focus of much of my lab’s research is to study biofilms of different multidrug resistant pathogens in cystic fibrosis (CF) and the effects of existing and novel antibiotics against these biofilms. We have developed a novel real-time slide chamber model to visualize biofilms using confocal microscopy, in the presence of host factors such as CF sputum. We have also used this model to study the polymicrobial interactions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus within biofilms in the context of failure of P. aeruginosa eradication in children with CF. 

Selected Publications:

1. Beaudoin T, Yau YCW, Stapleton PJ, Gong, Y, Wang PW, Guttman DS, Waters. ( 2017) Staphylococcus aureus interaction with Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm enhances tobramycin resistance. NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes
2. Blanchard AC, Rooney AM, Yau YCW, Zhang Y, Stapleton PJ, Horton E, Klingel M, Stanojevic S, Ratjen F, Coburn B, Waters V. Early detection using qPCR of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in children with cystic fibrosis undergoing eradication treatment. J Cyst Fibros. 2018 Mar 7. pii: S1569-1993(18)30031-6.
3. Middleton M, Layeghifard M, Klingel M, Stanojevic S, Yau Y, Zlosnik JEA, Coriati A, Ratjen FA, Tullis DE, Stephenson A, Wilcox P, Freitag A, Chilvers M, McKinney M, Lavoie A, Wang PW, Guttman DS, Waters VJ. Epidemiology of clonal Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in a Canadian cystic fibrosis population. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2018 Jun 18.
4. Vidya P, Smith L, Beaudoin T, Yau YCW, Clark S, Coburn B, Guttman D, Hwang DM, Waters V. Chronic infection phenotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are associated with failure of eradication in children with cystic fibrosis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2016 Jan;35(1):67-74.
5. Tom SK, Yau YCW, Beaudoin T, Lipuma JJ, Waters V. Effect of high-dose antimicrobials on biofilm growth of Achromobacter species from cystic fibrosis patients. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2015 Nov 2;60(1):650-2.