SPUTUM BACTERIOLOGY AND ITS ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITIES IN TURKISH CYSTIC-FIBROSIS PATIENTS

To identify lower respiratory tract pathogens and their in-vitro antib iotic susceptibilities in Turkish cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, a tot al of 383 sputum cultures were evaluated from 45 OF children in 168 sy mptomatic and 215 control periods over 25 months. Microorganisms were isolated in 252 of the cultures. The isolation rats was 82 percent for symptomatic periods and 53 percent for control periods. The most comm on microorganism was P. aeruginosa in the symptomatic period and S. au reus in the control period. Other microbiological species included E. coli, H. influenzae, K. pneumoniae, S. epidermidis, beta-hemolytic str eptococcus, H. parainfluenzae, K. oxytoca, E. aerogenes and E. aglomer ans. P. cepacia was not found, In 20 cultures more than one microorgan ism was isolated at the same time. In in-vitro conditions, high suscep tibility rates were detected to amikacin, ciprofloxacin and cettazidim for P. aeruginosa; cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, amikacin, cephalothin, ch loramphenicol and erythromycin for S. aureus; amikacin and ceftriaxone for E. coli; ampicillin-sulbactam, amoxicillin-clavulanate, cefuroxim e, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone and aztreonam for H. influeanzae; and aztr eonam and amikacin for K. pneumoniae, Lower respiratory tract pathogen s and their antibiotic susceptibilities in Turkish CF children were no t significantly different from those indicated previously in the liter ature.