PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Michelle E Wood AU - Rebecca E Stockwell AU - Graham R Johnson AU - Kay A Ramsay AU - Laura J Sherrard AU - Timothy J Kidd AU - Joyce Cheney AU - Emma L Ballard AU - Peter O’Rourke AU - Nassib Jabbour AU - Claire E Wainwright AU - Luke D Knibbs AU - Peter D Sly AU - Lidia Morawska AU - Scott C Bell TI - Cystic fibrosis pathogens survive for extended periods within cough-generated droplet nuclei AID - 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2018-211567 DP - 2019 Jan 01 TA - Thorax PG - 87--90 VI - 74 IP - 1 4099 - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/74/1/87.short 4100 - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/74/1/87.full SO - Thorax2019 Jan 01; 74 AB - The airborne route is a potential pathway in the person-to-person transmission of bacterial strains among cystic fibrosis (CF) populations. In this cross-sectional study, we investigate the physical properties and survival of common non-Pseudomonas aeruginosa CF pathogens generated during coughing. We conclude that Gram-negative bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus are aerosolised during coughing, can travel up to 4 m and remain viable within droplet nuclei for up to 45 min. These results suggest that airborne person-to-person transmission is plausible for the CF pathogens we measured.