Abstract
Forty patients with cystic fibrosis were studied bacteriologically and serologically. PrecipitatingPseudomonas aeruginosa antibodies were monitored by crossed-immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) in order to evaluate the possibility of preventing chronic colonization byPseudomonas aeruginosa by cycles of antimicrobial therapy. Sputum or pharyngeal aspirate and serum samples from all patients were analyzed by means of spread on selective media and CIE, respectively. Significant differences in the number of precipitins were obtained: noncolonized and intermittently colonized patients had no precipitins, whereas the number of precipitins in the chronically colonized patients varied from 11 to 44. An increase in the number of precipitins could be a good marker for initiation of therapy with antimicrobial agents that are either active againstPseudomonas aeruginosa or able to inhibit the release of virulence factors.
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Trancassini, M., de Vito, D., Cimino, G. et al. PrecipitatingPseudomonas aeruginosa antibodies and antimicrobial therapy in cystic fibrosis patients. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 15, 309–312 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01695663
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01695663