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Updated: Dec 1, 2025

Visualization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa within the Sputum of Cystic Fibrosis Patients
Published on: July 16, 2020
The virtual CF clinic: Implications for sputum microbiology
John E Moore1, B Cherie Millar1, John McCaughan2
1Northern Ireland Public Health Laboratory, Nightingale (Belfast City) Hospital, Lisburn Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 7AD, UK; Northern Ireland Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, Level 8, Belfast City Hospital, Lisburn Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 7AB, UK; Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 7BL, UK.
Abstract:
The COVID19 pandemic has shifted the paradigm of how outpatient clinics are delivered within CF care, resulting in a significant reduction of patient visits to CF centres. One consequence of this has been a reduction in the number of sputa/cough swabs that patients submit for routine analysis. This report examines why it is important to maintain optimal sputum microbiology and explores (i). the microbiological efficiency of postal submission of sputum specimens from the community and (ii) the regulatory conditions that must be met through postal submission of respiratory specimens. Virtual clinics have now been established within CF care and it is incumbent on each speciality within the CF MDT to explore ways to nurture and support their individual contribution to the success of the virtual clinic. Within microbiology, adopting innovative approaches to sputum collection in the community and transportation via postal services will allow for continued microbiological vigilance thereby supporting patient safety.
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