Managing Pulmonary Infection in Adults With Cystic Fibrosis: Adult Cystic Fibrosis Series

Abstract

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by chronic airway infection and progressive respiratory decline. Historically, a narrow spectrum of bacterial pathogens was believed to comprise the bulk of respiratory infections in CF, with Haemophilus influenzae and Staphylococcus aureus dominating childhood infections, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa or, less commonly, a member of the Burkholderia cepacia complex becoming the dominant infecting organism in adulthood. Today, the landscape is changing for airway infection in CF. The prevalence of "less typical" gram-negative bacterial infections are rising due to a number of factors: the CF population is aging; new therapies are being introduced; antibiotic usage is increasing; diagnostic tests are evolving; and taxonomic changes are being made as new bacterial species are being discovered. Less is known about the clinical relevance and evidence for treatment strategies for many of the other lower prevalence organisms that are encountered in CF. The aim of this article was to discuss the current evidence and recommended strategies for treating airway infection in CF, focusing on bacterial infections.

Keywords: antibiotic therapy; cystic fibrosis; infection; microbiology.