Microbial Pathogens Associated With Cystic Fibrosis: Special Focus on Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common inherited lethal disease among Caucasians. The disease is characterized by a high sodium sweat concentration, malabsorption, malnutrition, and chronic bronchopulmonary infection. Although CF is a multisystem disorder it is the deterioration of lung function, due mainly to bacterial colonization, that is the major determinant contributing to the high morbidity and mortality of affected patients. A relatively large variety of microbial species can be recovered from the CF sputum but it is widely accepted that Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Burkholderia cepacia are the most important organisms causing infection in CF patients. Among these, P.aruginosa is the most prevalent pathogen responsible for much of the severe chronic lung infection. Antibiotic therapy aimed at clearing or reducing, the bacterial load in the CF lung, even though temporary, increases the longevity of patients and is one of the mainstays in treatment the disease.