Persistency of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sputum cultures and clinical outcomes in adult patients with cystic fibrosis

A. Burkett, K. L. Vandemheen, T. Giesbrecht-Lewis, K. Ramotar, W. Ferris, F. Chan, S. Doucette, D. Fergusson, S. D. Aaron

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Our objective was to describe the natural history of infection with transmissible and unique strains of P. aeruginosa (PA) in adult CF patients and to determine if clearance of PA from sputum was associated with an improvement in clinical status. This was a 3-year prospective cohort study of adult patients with CF. Sputum was collected at baseline and annually. Rate of decline of FEV1, BMI, exacerbation rate, and time to death or transplant were compared between patients who cleared PA versus those in whom PA was persistent. A total of 373 patients were included in the study, 75% were infected with PA at baseline; 24% were infected with transmissible strains and 51% with unique strains. Patients infected with unique strains were more likely to clear PA from their sputum over 3 years compared to those infected with transmissible strains (19% vs 10%, P=0.05). Declines in FEV1 and rates of pulmonary exacerbations, deaths, or lung transplants were not different between patients who cleared PA compared to those who remained persistently infected. No clinical benefit was identified in patients who cleared PA from sputum compared to those who remained persistently infected.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1603-1610
Number of pages8
JournalEuropean Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Volume31
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2012
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding Source Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and The Ontario Thoracic Society.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Microbiology (medical)
  • Infectious Diseases

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