British medical bulletin
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British medical bulletin · Jan 2009
ReviewRecent advances in the microbiology of respiratory tract infection in cystic fibrosis.
Infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Research on CF infection has highlighted differences from other respiratory infections--both in the range and the nature of the organisms--especially in chronic infection. This is a rapidly advancing field of microbiology and is bringing insights into the complexity and adaptations of bacteria causing chronic infection in the respiratory tract. ⋯ Much has been learnt about pathogenicity, evolution of CF pathogens and development of antibiotic resistance. The need is to focus on clinical relevance of these observations to improve diagnosis, prevention and treatment of CF infection.