Cross infection between cystic fibrosis patients colonised with Burkholderia cepacia
- aRegional Adult Cystic Fibrosis Unit, The Cardiothoracic Centre, bDepartment of Medical Microbiology, cRoyal Liverpool University Hospitals, Liverpool L14 3PE, UK
- Dr M J Walshaw.
- Received 8 September 1997
- Revision requested 9 January 1998
- Revised 3 February 1998
- Accepted 13 February 1998
Abstract
Whilst patient to patient spread of the respiratory pathogenBurkholderia cepacia is well recognised between patients with cystic fibrosis, prompting a strict segregation policy, cross colonisation between cystic fibrosis patients already infected withB cepacia has not been described and surveys show a very low incidence of patients with more than one strain. Five adult cystic fibrosis patients with B cepacia are presented who became cross colonised with a second B cepacia (UK epidemic) strain, four of whom then died, three from the cepacia syndrome. These cases show that, amongst segregated patients, cross colonisation with different B cepacia strains is possible, and even in these patients the acquisition of the UK epidemic strain may have a fatal outcome. In future it may be necessary to segregate cystic fibrosis patients colonised with the UK epidemic strain from all other patients with cystic fibrosis.
