In the letter by M G de Vega et al entitled “GM-CSF therapy in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis” which appeared on page 837 of the September issue of Thorax (Volume 57, No 9), the name of Dr A Romero was inadvertently omitted as the first author. The authors of the letter should have been: A Romero, M G de Vega, A Sánchez-Palencia, A Ramírez and S Cervera. The publishers apologise for this error.