EDITORIAL

Serology of Pseudomonas

Pseudomonas serology: confusion, controversy, and challenges

P M Farrell¹, J R W Govan²

¹ Professor of Pediatrics and Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53726-2336, USA
² Cystic Fibrosis Group, Centre for Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK

Correspondence to:
Dr P M Farrell
Professor of Pediatrics and Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53726-2336, USA; pmfarrel@facstaff.wisc.edu

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Contrasting messages on the diagnostic value of Pseudomonas serology in CF

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Keywords: cystic fibrosis; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; serum antibodies; serology

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The two interesting but contrasting (and possibly confusing) papers on Pseudomonas serology in cystic fibrosis (CF) published in this issue of Thorax illustrate the controversy and challenge that have become increasingly important as very young patients are routinely diagnosed through newborn screening. Fortunately, such infants at diagnosis are typically free of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection,¹ unlike about 30% of those diagnosed by traditional methods following signs/symptoms of CF.² The potential to eradicate non-mucoid PA, and even to delay transformation to mucoid species,¹ makes ascertainment of the initial PA infection one of the highest priorities in current clinical management. Yet, just as in the diagnosis of CF per se, traditional methods of PA identification (relying on microbiology) leave much to be desired in young children with CF. Thus, more attention has focused once again on the potential diagnostic value of Pseudomonas serology. In a recent review Rosenfeld et . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Rao, A. R., Laxova, A., Farrell, P. M., Barbieri, J. T. (2009). Proteomic Identification of OprL as a Seromarker for Initial Diagnosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection of Patients with Cystic Fibrosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 2483-2488 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Farrell, P. M., Collins, J., Broderick, L. S., Rock, M. J., Li, Z., Kosorok, M. R., Laxova, A., Gershan, W. M., Brody, A. S. (2009). Association between Mucoid Pseudomonas Infection and Bronchiectasis in Children with Cystic Fibrosis. Radiology 252: 534-543 [Abstract] [Full Text]