title: Lack of evidence of increased risk of bacterial transmission during cystic fibrosis educational programmes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Educational and rehabilitation programmes increase the quality-of-life of patients with cystic fibrosis, but patients are discouraged to participate because of the risk of cross-infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae cultured one year before to one year after attendance were investigated by pulsed field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing and/or spa-typing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We typed 984 bacterial isolates cultured from 46 patients aged 5-18 years attending educational programmes at Aarhus University Hospital during 2009-2011. There were no cross-infections with P. aeruginosa. Six cases of S. aureus or H. influenzae strain replacement with a new strain-type shared with a fellow attendee were found. However, the probability of acquiring a shared strain of S. aureus or H. influenzae was not increased for patients attending educational programmes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transmission of P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and H. influenzae related to attendance to the investigated educational programmes could not be documented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Health, Aarhus University, Vennelyst Boulevard 9, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Winnie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ridderberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Section for Biostatistics, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 2, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Væth
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Vibeke
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bregnballe
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark. Electronic address: nielnoer@rm.dk.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nørskov-Lauritsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Peter Oluf
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Schiøtz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002648:Child; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / Q000379:methods; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing / Q000379:methods; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: Cross-infection; Epidemiology; Multilocus sequence typing; Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis; spa-typing