Cross infection between cystic fibrosis patients colonised with Burkholderia cepacia.
Whilst patient to patient spread of the respiratory pathogen Burkholderia cepacia is well recognised between patients with cystic fibrosis, prompting a strict segregation policy, cross colonisation between cystic fibrosis patients already infected with B cepacia has not been described and surveys show a very low incidence of patients with more than one strain. Five adult cystic fibrosis patients with B cepacia are presented who became cross colonised with a second B cepacia (UK epidemic) strain, four of whom then died, three from the cepacia syndrome. These cases show that, amongst segregated patients, cross colonisation with different B cepacia strains is possible, and even in these patients the acquisition of the UK epidemic strain may have a fatal outcome. In future it may be necessary to segregate cystic fibrosis patients colonised with the UK epidemic strain from all other patients with cystic fibrosis.
Ledson
M J
MJ
Regional Adult Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospitals, UK.
Gallagher
M J
MJ
Corkill
J E
JE
Hart
C A
CA
Walshaw
M J
MJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019121:Burkholderia Infections / Q000635:transmission*; D016956:Burkholderia cepacia / Q000235:genetics; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
D004269:DNA, Bacterial