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Variation of the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Burkholderia cepacia complex clonal isolates obtained from chronically infected cystic fibrosis patients: a five-year survey in the major Portuguese treatment center

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Abstract

The treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients chronically infected with Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) bacteria requires extensive and aggressive antibiotics therapy, exposing these bacteria to prolonged antibiotics-selective pressure. In the present study, we have compared the susceptibility patterns to 13 antimicrobials of 94 Bcc isolates obtained from 15 Portuguese CF patients in the course of chronic infection during a five-year survey. These isolates were previously genotyped and represent 11 different strains of the species B. cenocepacia (subgroups A and B), B. cepacia, B. multivorans, and B. stabilis. The results are consistent with the notion that CF Bcc isolates are resistant to the most clinically relevant antimicrobials and suggest an uneven distribution of resistance rates among the different species, with B. cenocepacia subgroup A isolates being the most resistant. Phenotypic variants exhibiting differences in the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were obtained from the sputum samples of clinically deteriorated CF patients during chronic lung infection. The isolation of resistant variants coincided with periods of pulmonary exacerbation and antibiotics therapy.

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Abbreviations

Bcc:

Burkholderia cepacia complex

IV:

Intravenous therapy

IT:

Inhaled tobramycin

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by FEDER and Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal (contracts POCTI/BIO/38273/2001 and PTDC/SAU-MII/69591/2006 and PhD and post-doctoral grants to S.A.S and M.V.C., respectively).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBB—Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centre for Biological and Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal

    J. H. Leitão, S. A. Sousa, M. V. Cunha & I. Sá-Correia

  2. Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Hospital de Santa Maria, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, Lisboa, Portugal

    M. J. Salgado & J. Melo-Cristino

  3. Centro Especializado em Fibrose Quística, Hospital de Santa Maria, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, Lisboa, Portugal

    M. C. Barreto

Authors
  1. J. H. Leitão
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  2. S. A. Sousa
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  3. M. V. Cunha
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  4. M. J. Salgado
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  5. J. Melo-Cristino
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  6. M. C. Barreto
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  7. I. Sá-Correia
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Correspondence to I. Sá-Correia.

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Leitão, J.H., Sousa, S.A., Cunha, M.V. et al. Variation of the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of Burkholderia cepacia complex clonal isolates obtained from chronically infected cystic fibrosis patients: a five-year survey in the major Portuguese treatment center. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 27, 1101–1111 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-008-0552-0

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