The flora of the respiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas

Abstract

Summary 1.Bacterial flora of the upper and lowerrespiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas and those with a chronic respiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrocauses have been studied. 2.The results showed a markedly increased incidence of Staph. aureaus in the throat and bronchial secretions, and of Ps. aeruginosa in cultures obtained from all the sites of the respiratory tract of CF patients. 3.In non-CF patients there was a significantlylower incidence of cultures yielding pathogens. Pneumococci and H. influenzae were isolated more frequently in non-CF patients than in CF patients. 4.A total of 251 strains of Staph. aureus which were isolated from nasopharyngeal and bronchial secretions of CF and non-CF patients were tested for their bacteriophage patterns. The results showed no difference in t the distribution of phage type of Staph. aureus isolated from the 2 groups of patients. 5.Antibiograms of a total of 101 strainsof Staph. aureus from the bronchial secretions and 109 strains from the nasopharyngeal secretions of CF patients were determined against 12 antibiotics. No significant difference was found in the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the different phage types tested except that the type 80/81 strains were highly resistant to penicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline. 6.All the strains of Staph. aureus tested were highly susceptible to bacitracin, ristocetin, vancomycin, and novobiocin, and fairly susceptible to neomycin, oleandomycin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, and kanamycin, in decreasing order. The antibiotic susceptibility patterns of a total of 70 strains of Ps. aeruginosa against 7 antibiotics showed that these organisms were highly resistant to the antibiotics tested. Only polymyxin, neomycin, and oxytetracycline were fairly effective against some strains. Summary 1.Bacterial flora of the upper and lowerrespiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas and those with a chronic respiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrocauses have been studied. 2.The results showed a markedly increased incidence of Staph. aureaus in the throat and bronchial secretions, and of Ps. aeruginosa in cultures obtained from all the sites of the respiratory tract of CF patients. 3.In non-CF patients there was a significantlylower incidence of cultures yielding pathogens. Pneumococci and H. influenzae were isolated more frequently in non-CF patients than in CF patients. 4.A total of 251 strains of Staph. aureus which were isolated from nasopharyngeal and bronchial secretions of CF and non-CF patients were tested for their bacteriophage patterns. The results showed no difference in t the distribution of phage type of Staph. aureus isolated from the 2 groups of patients. 5.Antibiograms of a total of 101 strainsof Staph. aureus from the bronchial secretions and 109 strains from the nasopharyngeal secretions of CF patients were determined against 12 antibiotics. No significant difference was found in the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the different phage types tested except that the type 80/81 strains were highly resistant to penicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline. 6.All the strains of Staph. aureus tested were highly susceptible to bacitracin, ristocetin, vancomycin, and novobiocin, and fairly susceptible to neomycin, oleandomycin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, and kanamycin, in decreasing order. The antibiotic susceptibility patterns of a total of 70 strains of Ps. aeruginosa against 7 antibiotics showed that these organisms were highly resistant to the antibiotics tested. Only polymyxin, neomycin, and oxytetracycline were fairly effective against some strains.