title: Cross-infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis attending the Warsaw Centre.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  1. To assess the prevalence of cross-infections with P. aeruginosa in order to evaluate the epidemiological situation of this infection in patients with cystic fibrosis attending our centre; 2. To correlate the clinical features of the patients carrying a potentially transmissible strain with the entire study group in order to determine the risk factors and possible effects of its acquisition.
  
  
  METHODS
  170 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains obtained from the respiratory tract of 75 cystic fibrosis patients attending the Warsaw Centre in 2011 and 2012 were typed using restriction enzyme analysis-pulsed field gel electrophoresis (Spe I restriction enzyme was used). Simultaneously, the information concerning contacts between patients, as well as several clinical data regarding the course of the disease were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty four clusters of strains were detected. The main cluster included 49 isolates derived from 21 patients. The other detected clusters included 2 to 12 isolates derived from 1 to 7 patients. Three clusters comprised the isolates derived from three pairs of siblings. There were 15 clusters containing 2 to 7 strains belonging to the same patient. The remaining 24 patients were infected with their own strains, not fitting any clonal group. Several clinical parameters showed that the 21 patients whose strains constituted the main cluster, were in worse clinical condition than the other patients in the study group. Moreover, the total duration of their hospitalizations in order to perform intravenous antibiotic treatment was longer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  1. Frequent hospitalizations of CF patients with a more severe course of the disease seem to be a risk factor of cross-infections with P. aeruginosa. 2. Intensification of measures to prevent cross-infection, such as hygienic precautions, patient segregation, introduction of home intravenous antibiotic therapy programme, as well as further education of patients and their parents should lead to the improvement of the epidemiological situation in our centre. .
authors.affiliation: Cystic Fibrosis Centre, Institute of Mother and Child, Kasprzaka Street 17a, 01-211 Warsaw, Poland, tel. (22) 32-77-455, 609-737-799, e-mail: j.mil@op.pl.
authors.forename: Justyna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Milczewska
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wołkowicz
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zacharczuk
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kwiatkowska
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013045:Species Specificity; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents