More Rapid Decline In Lung Function In People With CF Linked To High Sputum Levels Of Virus That Infects Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Study Finds

Cystic Fibrosis News Today (11/7, Bryson) reports, “A more rapid decline in lung function in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) has been linked in a new study to high sputum levels of a virus that infects the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is a major contributor to lung disease in CF.” The virus, named “Pseudomonas filamentous (Pf) bacteriophage, in the sputum was also associated with a pro-inflammatory and antiviral immune response, and the formation in CF airways of liquid crystalline biofilms, which are layers of microbes that confer immune and treatment resistance.” The findings were published in the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis.