Chest computed tomography scores in patients with cystic fibrosis colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Cystic fibrosis year in review 2018, part 1

Cystic fibrosis research and case reports were robust in the year 2018. This report summarizes research and cases related to Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) modulator therapies, inflammation and infection, epidemiology and the physiologic, and imaging assessment of disease.

Staphylococcus aureus in cystic fibrosis: pivotal role or bit part actor?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The cystic fibrosis (CF) lung has long been appreciated as a competitive niche for complex interactions between bacterial species. The individual relationships between effects on the host, and thereafter clinical outcomes, has been poorly understood. We aim to describe the role of Staphyloccus aureus, one of the most commonly encountered bacteria cultured from the respiratory tracts of people with CF, and it's complex interplay with other organisms, with particular attention to Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

RECENT FINDINGS

We describe the challenges posed in understanding the role that S. aureus plays in the CF lung, including the difficulties in interpreting culture results depending upon sampling technique, relationships with P. aeruginosa and the rest of the microbiome, as well as discussing the relative merits and potential harms of antibiotic prophylaxis. Finally, we describe the particular challenge of methicillin-resistant S. aureus.

SUMMARY

We describe research underway that will address the long-held contentious issues of antibiotic prophylaxis. We also describe the emerging research interest in determining whether, at differences phases in the evolution of CF airways infection, S. aureus infection can have both harmful and protective effects for the host.