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Updated: Sep 19, 2026

Use of Artificial Sputum Medium to Test Antibiotic Efficacy Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Conditions More Relevant to the Cystic Fibrosis Lung
Published on: June 5, 2012
[Quantitative bacteriology of sputum and bronchial secretions in patients with chronic bronchitis (author's transl)]
Abstract:
The in vitro and in vivo reproducibility of the quantitative bacteriological analysis of sputum and bronchial secretions has been studied in patients with chronic bronchitis. Sputum produced during bronchial toilet showed a significant higher bacterial numeration than that produced by physiotherapy but the bacterial species identified were identical. No significant variations were observed between the qualitative and quantitative bacteriologic flora of bronchial secretions collected by bronchoscopy from different segments of the airways. Comparison of microbial counts on sputum specimens collected at different periods of the day and at weekly intervals over several weeks revealed that the sputum of clinically stable chronic bronchitic patients contain a relatively constant and potentially pathogenic bacterial flora. The emergence of a superinfection was emphasized by the parallel increase of the leukocytic and bacterial numeration of sputum.
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