Abstract
Background: An increasing number of CF patients are colonized with the Gramnegative multiresistant bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The clinical consequences of this infection are not known. The purpose of our study was to assess the effect on lung function and nutritional status (z-score BMI) in patients chronicailly infected with S. maltophilia. Methods: All CF patients (278) treated at the CF centre in Copenhagen were included in the study. Numbers of sputum cultures positive for S. maltophilia in the period from 1.1.2008 to 31.12.2009 were counted. FEV1% predicted and BMI z-score were compared in patients with and without chronic S. maltophilia pulmonary infection. Results: Eighty-two CF patients (30 %), median age 19 years (range 2−60) had at least one culture with S. maltophilia. Chronic infection defined as occurrence of S. maltophilia in >50% of sputum samples or less often when combined with the presence of elevated levels of precipitating antibodies against S. maltophilia. During the study period 499/1877 (27%) sputum samples in 82 patients were positive. Nineteen patients were chronic infected with S. maltophilia. No differences were found in FEV1% or BMI z-score between patients intermittent colonised and patients chronic infected: median 82% (27–126) and 79% (35–106) and −0.5 (−3.18–2.01) and 0.07 (−1.89–1.26) respectively. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study does not show any effect of chronic S. maltophilia infection on neither FEV1 nor BMI z-score. Longitudinal study of impact of chronic S. maltophilia infection on decline of clinical condition of chronically infected patients is needed.
Published Version
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