M035: Pseudomonas Cepacia Infections in Cystic Fibrosis
Children: Epidemiological Investigatlon by Analysis of DNA Restriction
Fragment Length Polymorphism
D Moissenet*, M. Valcin*, A. Baculard**, A. Sardet**G.,
Tournier*, H. Vu Thlen* *Department of Microbiology, **Department
ot Paediatric Pneumology, Hopital A. Trousseau, Paris, France
Since 1987, Pseudomonas cepacla (Pc) is isolated with an increasing frequency from sputum of cystic fibrosis (CF) children and may be responsible for acute exacerbations and accelerated clinical deterioration.
Among the 130 CF children attending our center, 14 (8 females, 6 males) were chronically colonized by Pc. Mean age of patients at the onset of colonlzatlon was 4,8 years (range,1-13 years). 10 of them were also infected by Pseudomonas aeruglnosa.
132 clinical Pc isolates were recovered between 1992 and 1994 from sputum cultures. The same biochemical profile was observed in all the isolates with a little variability. All the isolates were resistant to aminoglycosides, collstln, ciprotloxacin and imipenem. Percentages of susceptible isolates were 21% for ticarcillin, 76% for piperacillin, 88% for ceftazidlme.
DNA finger printing by the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis technique (PFGE) was used for molecular typing and an epidemiological investlgatlon. Four pulsotypes A, B, C and D were obtained after digestion of the Pc genomic DNAs by enzyme Xbal. The pulsotypes B and D were attributed to 2 patients. 6 patients exhibited the pulsotype A and 6 other patients exhibited the pulsotype C. In these two groups, a cross-transmission between patients or a common source of contamination could be suggested, which is going to be investigated .