CF-Microbiology
General information
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is dominated by chronic bacterial infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract. The special milieu of the CF lung offers ideal conditions for colonisation, especially with bacteria that are ubiquitous in the environment, some of which are phylogenetically closely related to each other. Many of these pathogens are very rarely found as infectious agents in non-CF patients. In addition to the classic pathogens of respiratory tract infections in CF (“CF lead germs”), especially P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, Haemophilus influenzae and B. cepacia complex, numerous other pathogens are found more rarely. These often come from the group of non-fermenters (e.g. other Pseudomonas spp., Chryseobacterium spp., Pandoraea spp., Ralstonia spp., Inquilinus limosus and many others). In CF, therefore, there is always an indication for microbiological diagnostics, which must be oriented towards the special spectrum of pathogens in CF and is carried out primarily within the framework of regular control examinations and in the case of clinical deterioration (“exacerbation”).
Range of services
- Pathogen isolation and identification via semi-quantitative culture on special and selective media as well as molecular methods
- Subtyping based on phenotypic and/or genotypic characteristics
- Advice on antibiotic therapy