Correlation between sinus and lung cultures in lung transplant patients with cystic fibrosis

Lung transplantation has revolutionized the treatment of end-stage pulmonary disease due to cystic fibrosis. However, infection of the transplanted lungs can lead to serious complications, including graft failure and death. Although many of these patients have concurrent sinusitis, it is unclear whether bacteria from the sinuses can infect the allograft.

This is a single-institution retrospective study of all patients who underwent lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis from 2005 to 2015 at Duke University Hospital. Pre- and posttransplant nasal and pulmonary cultures obtained via nasal endoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), respectively, were analyzed.

A total of 141 patients underwent 144 lung transplants. Sinus cultures were available for 76 patients (12 pretransplant, 42 posttransplant, 22 both pre- and posttransplant). Pretransplant BAL cultures were available for 139 patients, and posttransplant BAL cultures were available for all patients. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PsA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were the most common organisms cultured. There was a significant correlation between pretransplant sinus and posttransplant BAL cultures for PsA (p = 0.003), MRSA (p = 0.013), and Burkholderia cepacia (p = 0.001).

There was a high correlation between pretransplant sinus cultures and posttransplant BAL cultures for PsA, MRSA, and Burkholderia sp. This suggests that the paranasal sinuses may act as a reservoir for allograft colonization in patients with cystic fibrosis. Further studies are needed to determine whether treatment of sinusitis affects allograft colonization and transplant outcomes.