Respiration; international review of thoracic diseases
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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-limiting inherited disease in Caucasian populations. While pathological changes can be seen in various organs, morbidity and mortality are mainly related to the respiratory tract, with patients suffering from chronic bronchopulmonary infections with characteristic pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus. ⋯ While a large number of strains exhibited resistance to one or several antimicrobial agents, methicillin-resistant S. aureus was found at a low prevalence of 3% (n = 2) only. The two methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates were assigned to CC152/t355 (SCCmecV) and CC5/t001 (SCCmecI). This is the first study to genetically characterize S. aureus isolates in CF patients in Austria.