PRECIPITATING PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA ANTIBODIES AND ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY IN CYSTIC-FIBROSIS PATIENTS

Forty patients with cystic fibrosis were studied bacteriologically and serologically. Precipitating Pseudomonas aeruginosa antibodies were m onitored by crossed-immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) in order to evaluate t he possibility of preventing chronic colonization by Pseudomonas aerug inosa by cycles of antimicrobial therapy. Sputum or pharyngeal aspirat e 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 intermittent ly colonized patients had no precipitins, whereas the number of precip itins in the chronically colonized patients varied from 11 to 44. An i ncrease in the number of precipitins could be a good marker for initia tion of therapy with antimicrobial agents that are either active again st Pseudomonas aeruginosa or able to inhibit the release of virulence factors.