Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization in patients with cystic fibrosis; population structure, the Dutch clone and effects of segregation

More than half of the patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in their lungs. It was thought that patients acquired unique strains of this bacterium from the environment, however in the last decades epidemic clones have been described in other countries that are most likely transmitted between CF patients. Infection with these epidemic clones has been associated with worse clinical outcome. To prevent transmission of such clones a strict segregation policy was implemented in the Netherlands without extensive knowledge of the local epidemiology. CF patients a... Mehr ...