Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “PSEUDOMONAS INFECTIONS”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,441 records · Page 80Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Apoptotic response of Chang cells to infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains PAK and PAO-I: molecular ordering of the apoptosis signaling cascade and role of type IV pili.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative facultative opportunistic pathogen associated with severe infections in immunocompromised hosts and in patients with cystic fibrosis. P. aeruginosa strains show divergent pathogenicity in vivo and trigger apoptosis of and/or are internalized into human host cells. In the present study, we studied the molecular ordering of apoptosis signaling upon infection of human conjunctiva epithelial Chang cells with P. aeruginosa PAK as well as the role of bacterial pili in the response to the infection. Our results show that CD95 up-regulation is followed by early activation of caspase-8 and -3 and cleavage of the caspase-3 substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The data also demonstrate release of apoptosis inducing factor into the cytosol of infected cells. Induction of mitochondrial alterations, i.e., mitochondrial depolarization and release of cytochrome c, as well as cleavage of caspase-9, -7, and -1 occurred only at later time points. In addition, our results demonstrate that pili are required for P. aeruginosa-induced apoptosis of human epithelial cells. While the two piliated P. aeruginosa strains, PAO-I and PAK, induced apoptosis of Chang cells within 3 h of infection, the pilus-deficient P. aeruginosa mutants PAK Delta pilA and PAK Delta pilA Delta all were without effect. The pilus-deficient mutants failed to induce a significant up-regulation of CD95 on the cell surface and to trigger mitochondrial alterations or activation of caspase-8, -3, and -7. In addition, only the piliated wild-type strains induced caspase-1-mediated activation of interleukin-1 beta. Thus, pili are necessary for distinct infection-induced cellular responses of human epithelial cells.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1983

Ceftazidime in cystic fibrosis: clinical, microbiological and immunological studies.

We have investigated the use of the new cephalosporin ceftazidime for the treatment of pseudomonas infection in cystic fibrosis, using 100 to 240 mg/kg intravenously daily. The clinical and microbiological results of 18 courses of therapy, lasting from 1 to 4 weeks have been satisfactory, particularly since the patients had previously proved refractory to treatment with most other appropriate antibiotics. However, in common with other anti-pseudomonal antibiotics, a first course of ceftazidime proved the most successful, subsequent courses being less effective. Three patients died because of chronic respiratory infection. In cystic fibrosis pseudomonal infections rapidly relapse after therapy and therefore we have been examining the interactions of antibiotics with relevant host defence mechanisms. In one patient who received a 4 g infusion of ceftazidime there was enhancement of neutrophil phagocytosis-triggered chemiluminescence. We conclude that, used in high doses, ceftazidime is a useful addition to the available antibiotics for therapy of pseudomonas infection in cystic fibrosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Anti-inflammatory effect of augmented nitric oxide production in chronic lung infection.

Chronic infection of the lungs with Pseudomonas aeruginosa complicates many long-term lung diseases including cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive lung disease, and mechanical ventilation. In acute inflammatory lung diseases, increased nitric oxide synthase (NOS-2) expression leads to excess nitric oxide (NO) production, resulting in the production of reactive nitrogen intermediates, which contribute to tissue damage. In contrast, the contribution of NO to pulmonary damage in chronic Pseudomonas infection of the lung has not been directly examined and is unclear. Although NOS-2 expression is increased in this condition, NO production is not abnormally elevated. It was hypothesized that chronic infection of the airways does not cause increased NO production but, in contrast, leads to inappropriately low NO concentrations that are pro-inflammatory. A rodent model of chronic airway infection was used to examine the effects on lung damage of augmenting or inhibiting NO production after airway infection with P. aeruginosa was well established. Three days post-infection, L-arginine, which augments NO production, or L-NAME, an inhibitor of NO production, was administered in drinking water. Lung damage was assessed 12 days later. L-arginine treatment reduced tissue damage, inhibited neutrophil recruitment, and reduced the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1beta. Treatment with L-NAME caused loss of alveolar walls, greater vascular damage, and increased levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6. Thus, in chronic airway infection, inhibition of NO production worsened lung damage, whereas augmenting NO ameliorated this damage. This is the first demonstration that augmenting endogenous NO production in chronic infective lung disease caused by P. aeruginosa is anti-inflammatory. Given that infection with this organism complicates many chronic lung diseases, most notoriously cystic fibrosis, these findings have important clinical implications.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Use of Monte Carlo simulation to assess the pharmacodynamics of beta-lactams against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in children: a report from the OPTAMA program.

BACKGROUND: Assessing the likelihood of achieving bactericidal pharmacodynamic exposures against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with intravenous antimicrobial regimens would provide insights into the selection of empiric therapy in the pediatric population. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to use pharmacodynamic modeling to determine the likelihood of various pediatric antibiotic regimens achieving bactericidal exposures against P aeruginosa in children. METHODS: Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined for meropenem (20 and 40 mg/kg q8h), imipenem (15 and 25 mg/kg q6h), ceftazidime (50 mg/kg q8h), cefepime (50 mg/kg q8h), and piperacillin/tazobactam (75 mg/kg q6h) against P aeruginosa isolates from 2 pediatric institutions. A 5000-patient Monte Carlo simulation was performed to predict attainment of pharmacodynamic targets against P aeruginosa for each of these regimens in a population of 10-year-olds. Optimal regimens were defined as those that had a > or =90% likelihood of attaining target exposures. RESULTS: At institution 1, high-dose imipenem, high-dose meropenem, and ceftazidime achieved bactericidal pharmacodynamic exposures (likelihood of target attainment: 94%, 92%, and 92%, respectively). No other regimen was associated with a high probability of attaining bactericidal exposure (low-dose imipenem, 87%; cefepime, 85%; low-dose meropenem, 84%; piperacillin/tazobactam, 60%). At institution 2, no regimen was associated with a high likelihood of attaining bactericidal exposure; the calculated probabilities were cefepime, 78%; ceftazidime, 65%; high-dose meropenem, 58%; high-dose imipenem, 57%; low-dose imipenem, 54%; low-dose meropenem, 47%; and piperacillin/tazobactam, 47%. A lack of agreement between attainment of bactericidal exposures and percent susceptibility was apparent for many of the regimens. CONCLUSIONS: Few regimens demonstrated a high likelihood of achieving bactericidal exposures against P aeruginosa at these institutions. Importantly, percent susceptibility overestimated attainment of the bactericidal target for some regimens, suggesting that further study is necessary in pediatric patients. The findings of this study highlight differences in target attainment and MIC distributions between institutions, emphasizing the importance of using institution-specific data when selecting empiric antimicrobial therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

A preliminary study on the use of carbenicillin in snakes.

The results of a 10 year survey on the in vitro antibiotic resistance patterns of Pseudomonas spp. isolated from clinically ill reptiles, showed a high degree of sensitivity to carbenicillin. On the basis of sensitivity testing, carbenicillin was used to treat nine snakes of four different species, with confirmed Pseudomonas infections. Plasma carbenicillin levels were assayed, by a microbiological agar diffusion technique, at intervals of time after a single intramuscular injection at a dose rate of 400 mg/kg. Peak plasma levels of 177 and 270 micrograms/ml were reached 1 h after the initial injection and therapeutic levels persisted for at least 12 h. This initial study indicated that a suggested dose regime in snakes, derived by extrapolation from mammalian dosages, of 100-125 mg/kg daily was insufficient to produce plasma levels of sufficient magnitude and duration to effectively treat Pseudomonas infections in snakes.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Depletion of alveolar macrophages decreases neutrophil chemotaxis to Pseudomonas airspace infections.

The mechanism for neutrophil (PMN) influx into infected airspaces of the lung is not known. To determine whether alveolar macrophage products are important in the initiation of chemotaxis, we depleted rats of alveolar macrophages by aerosolizing negatively charged oligolamellar liposomes complexed to clodronate disodium. Ninety-five percent of the alveolar macrophages were depleted, and lung injury and inflammation were minimized with this depletion technique. Rats depleted of alveolar macrophages were then anesthetized, and either 5 x 10(6) colony-forming units (CFU) or 5 x 10(7) CFU of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were instilled into the airspaces of these animals. When recombinant macrophage inflammatory protein MIP-2 was intratracheally instilled into rats depleted of alveolar macrophages, PMN were recruited to their airspaces. Nonetheless, PMN numbers were decreased in the lavage fluids when moderate or large inoculums of bacteria were instilled into depleted rats, although the PMN response appeared dose dependent. Levels of bioactive tumor necrosis factor-alpha and immunoreactive proteins CINC/gro (cytokine-induced PMN chemoattractant) in the lavage fluids obtained from infected rats depleted of alveolar macrophages were significantly decreased compared with the levels in the lavage fluids obtained from normal infected rats. MIP-2 mRNA expression, as detected by Northern analysis, was also decreased in the infected lungs of depleted rats, and the lavage fluid from these rats had significantly decreased chemotactic activity. Therefore these results suggest that alveolar macrophage products play a direct role in the initial recruitment of PMN into infected lungs.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Treatment of Pseudomonas and Serratia infections with ceftazidime.

The effectiveness and safety of parenterally administered ceftazidime were assessed in 20 patients with infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Serratia marcescens. There were six infections involving the urinary tract, six wound infections, one respiratory tract infection, three septicaemias, one empyema, one mastoiditis and two infections of the epididymis. Sixteen of the isolates were resistant to at least one aminoglycoside antibiotic. Fifteen patients were clinically and bacteriologically cured, two patients improved, but had relapses and three patients showed no response. The lack of clinical response was due to the development of resistance by P. aeruginosa in two patients with osteomyelitis, one of whom also had diabetes mellitus. The third patient who had chronic lymphocytic leukaemia developed post-operative osteomyelitis and septicaemia with serratia. She did not respond to treatment. Side effects consisted of a positive direct Coomb's test without evidence of haemolysis in two patients and a mild maculopapular rash in one patient.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Investigations on the efficacy of monovalent Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine for oral administration in Pseudomonas aeruginosa experimental infection.

Therapeutic efficacy of Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine for oral use (10(10) killed germs/ml), prepared from strain 4922, belonging to serotype XV, by Meitert-Meitert scheme, on 4 experimental models in mice (pneumonia, infected burn, septicaemia and urinary tract infection) was studied in comparison with monovalent Ps. aeruginosa vaccine serotype XV (10(9) killed germs/ml) for subcutaneous use and also with associated administration of the two vaccine variants. Mice immunization by using vaccine for oral use was performed by 0.5 ml vaccine per day, for 10 days and vaccine for subcutaneous use was administrated in a volume of 0.5 ml x 2, at 3 days interval. Mice immunization by using the two vaccine types, in association was concomitantly performed and in the same quantity as for separate immunization. In experimental pneumonia, Ps. aeruginosa vaccine for oral use protected mice in 35% of cases, those with infected burns were protected in 33.3% of cases, those with septicemia--in 96.6% of cases and those with urinary tract infection in 50% of cases. As compared to Ps. aeruginosa vaccine for subcutaneous use, the results obtained by vaccine for oral use are less favourable but associated administration of both vaccine variants led to superior results. Thus, in experimental pneumonia, it was obtained a surviving rate of 65% for animals immunized with both vaccine types, in comparison with 50% for animals immunized with vaccine for subcutaneous use only, and in Ps. aeruginosa infected burn, it was obtained a recovering rate of 79.1% for the animals immunized by using both vaccines, in comparison with 70.8% surviving for animals immunized with vaccine for subcutaneous use. In experimental septicaemia and urinary tract infection, combined use of both vaccine variants determined animals surviving and recovering in percents similar to those obtained by separate administration of vaccine for subcutaneous use (in septicemia--100% protection; in urinary tract infection--75% protection).

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1985

Intractable postphlebitic ulceration of the leg.

A new regimen for the successful treatment of intractable postphlebitic ulceration of the leg is described. It is based on preliminary culture of organisms in the ulcers followed by sensitivity tests to ascertain the appropriate antibiotics or antibacterials to be used. Patients with Pseudomonas infection are hospitalized and receive: intramuscular injections of amikacin sulphate 500 mg twice daily for 7 days; a once-daily spraying of antibiotic powder on the ulcer for 7 days; and a topical gentian violet regimen once daily for a further 2 days to encourage adhesion of a dressing to the ulcer bed. After discharge the patients are treated in the consulting rooms. Ulcers without Pseudomonas infection but from which organisms have been cultured are treated in the consulting rooms with drugs indicated by the results of sensitivity tests, and topical gentian violet. Patients from whom organisms have not been cultured are treated with co-trimoxazole and topical gentian violet. Patients are taught correct bandaging of the calf with a 150 mm wide crêpe bandage and a Rowden Foote elastic bandage. Firm bandaging prevents calf oedema, the factor predisposing to ulceration. Patients are initially seen daily and then, as the dressing becomes adherent, at decreasing intervals until it is shed. Both bandages are worn until the affected tissues heal. The patient is then fitted with a below-knee heavy-duty elastic stocking.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Pore-forming activity of type III system-secreted proteins leads to oncosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected macrophages.

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa cystic fibrosis isolate CHA induces type III secretion system-dependent but ExoU-independent oncosis of neutrophils and macrophages. Time-lapse microscopy of the infection process revealed the rapid accumulation of motile bacteria around infected cells undergoing the process of oncosis, a phenomenon we termed pack swarming. Characterization of the non-chemotactic CHAcheZ mutant showed that pack swarming is a bacterial chemotactic response to infected macrophages. A non-cytotoxic mutant, lacking the type III-secreted proteins PcrV, PopB and PopD, was able to pack swarm only in the presence of the parental strain CHA or when macrophages were pretreated with the pore-forming toxin streptolysin O. Interaction of P. aeruginosa with red blood cells (RBCs) showed that the contact-dependent haemolysis provoked by CHA requires secretion via the type III system and the PcrV, PopB/PopD proteins. The pore inserted into RBC membrane was estimated from osmoprotection experiments to be between 2.8 and 3.5 nm. CHA-infected macrophages could be protected from cell lysis with PEG3350, indicating that the pore introduced into RBC and macrophage membranes is of similar size. The time course uptake of the vital fluorescent dye, Yo-Pro-1, into infected macrophages confirmed that the formation of transmembrane pores by CHA precedes cellular oncosis. Therefore, CHA-induced macrophage death results from a pore-forming activity that is dependent on the intact pcrGVHpopBD operon.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2006

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection of airway epithelial cells modulates expression of Kruppel-like factors 2 and 6 via RsmA-mediated regulation of type III exoenzymes S and Y.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen which is capable of causing both acute and chronic infections in immunocompromised patients. Successful adaptation of the bacterium to its host environment relies on the ability of the organism to tightly regulate gene expression. RsmA, a small RNA-binding protein, controls the expression of a large number of virulence-related genes in P. aeruginosa, including those encoding the type III secretion system and associated effector proteins, with important consequences for epithelial cell morphology and cytotoxicity. In order to examine the influence of RsmA-regulated functions in the pathogen on gene expression in the host, we compared global expression profiles of airway epithelial cells in response to infection with P. aeruginosa PAO1 and an rsmA mutant. The RsmA-dependent response of host cells was characterized by significant changes in the global transcriptional pattern, including the increased expression of two Kruppel-like factors, KLF2 and KLF6. This increased expression was mediated by specific type III effector proteins. ExoS was required for the enhanced expression of KLF2, whereas both ExoS and ExoY were required for the enhanced expression of KLF6. Neither ExoT nor ExoU influenced the expression of the transcription factors. Additionally, the increased gene expression of KLF2 and KLF6 was associated with ExoS-mediated cytotoxicity. Therefore, this study identifies for the first time the human transcription factors KLF2 and KLF6 as targets of the P. aeruginosa type III exoenzymes S and Y, with potential importance in host cell death.

ADP Ribose Transferases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Once-daily intraperitoneal gentamicin is effective therapy for gram-negative CAPD peritonitis.

OBJECTIVE: To report our 3-year experience with the use of once-daily intraperitoneal (IP) gentamicin in the treatment of gram-negative continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) peritonitis. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study in prevalent CAPD patients. SETTING: A tertiary care institution. PATIENTS: All CAPD patients who presented with new episodes of peritonitis were studied. At presentation with peritonitis, IP vancomycin and gentamicin were administered as empirical therapy. IP gentamicin was given at a single daily dose of 40 mg/2 L in the overnight bag. The antimicrobial agents were reviewed when the culture results became available. Intraperitoneal ceftazidime was added for the treatment of pseudomonas peritonitis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Results of microbiological cultures and clinical outcomes of peritonitis were analyzed. RESULTS: Over a 36-month period, 190 episodes of peritonitis were recorded, of which 62/190 episodes (32.6%) isolated gram-negative organisms. The gram-negative organisms isolated were Escherichia coli, 15/62 episodes (24.1%); Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 12/62 episodes (19.4%); Acinetobacter spp, 12/62 episodes (19.4%); Klebsiella spp, 10/62 episodes (16.1%); and others, 13/62 episodes (21.0%). The overall treatment success rate was 66.1%. The treatment success rates were 74.0% if pseudomonas infections were excluded, 76.1% if gentamicin-resistant pathogens were excluded, and 80.5% if both pseudomonas infections and gentamicin-resistant pathogens were excluded. CONCLUSIONS: Once-daily IP gentamicin appears to be effective in the treatment of gram-negative CAPD peritonitis.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1992

[The study of pathogenic mechanisms of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections by mucoid strains].

Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection with mucoid strains is the predominant cause of death in cystic fibrosis (CF) or diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB). This infection is characterized by a chronic course without spread of the bacteria to the blood when compared with other infections due to the non-mucoid strains. However, the mechanism of P. aeruginosa lung infection with the mucoid strains remains obscure. Intra-tracheal and systemic infection in mice, susceptibility to the bactericidal activity of fresh human and mouse serum, and adherent activity to mouse fetal lung cell were examined for mucoid and non-mucoid strains of P. aeruginosa. After intra-tracheal infection, the mucoid strains were distributed to other organs anormously but not the non-mucoid stains, and the bacterial number of the mucoid strains in the blood were significantly lower than that of the non-mucoid strains. On the other hand, when these strains were inoculated into the tail vein of mouse, the mucoid strain was eliminated more rapidly from blood as compared with the non-mucoid strain. The mucoid strains showed reduced bacteremic virulence when compared with non-mucoid strains with a 50% lethal dose (LD50) of 1.5 x 10(7) CFU/mouse as the mean value in a systemic infection. In contrast to the non-mucoid strains, the mucoid strains were sensitive to human fresh serum but were resistant to mouse fresh serum. The mucoid strains adhered to the monolayer of the mouse fetal lung cell 7-fold better than did non-mucoid strains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Genetic diversity, recombination and cryptic clades in Pseudomonas viridiflava infecting natural populations of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Species-level genetic diversity and recombination in bacterial pathogens of wild plant populations have been nearly unexplored. Pseudomonas viridiflava is a common natural bacterial pathogen of Arabidopsis thaliana, for which pathogen defense genes and mechanisms are becoming increasing well known. The genetic variation contained within a worldwide sample of P. viridiflava collected from wild populations of A. thaliana was investigated using five genomic sequence fragments totaling 2.3 kb. Two distinct and deeply diverged clades were found within the P. viridiflava sample and in close proximity in multiple populations, each genetically diverse with synonymous variation as high as 9.3% in one of these clades. Within clades, there is evidence of frequent recombination within and between each sequenced locus and little geographic differentiation. Isolates from both clades were also found in a small sample of other herbaceous species in Midwest populations, indicating a possibly broad host range for P. viridiflava. The high levels of genetic variation and recombination together with a lack of geographic differentiation in this pathogen distinguish it from other bacterial plant pathogens for which intraspecific variation has been examined.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2006

Cooperation and virulence in acute Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.

BACKGROUND: Efficient host exploitation by parasites is frequently likely to depend on cooperative behaviour. Under these conditions, mixed-strain infections are predicted to show lower virulence (host mortality) than are single-clone infections, due to competition favouring non-contributing social 'cheats' whose presence will reduce within-host growth. We tested this hypothesis using the cooperative production of iron-scavenging siderophores by the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an insect host. RESULTS: We found that infection by siderophore-producing bacteria (cooperators) results in more rapid host death than does infection by non-producers (cheats), and that mixtures of both result in intermediate levels of virulence. Within-host bacterial growth rates exhibited the same pattern. Crucially, cheats were more successful in mixed infections compared with single-clone infections, while the opposite was true of cooperators. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that mixed clone infections can favour the evolution of social cheats, and thus decrease virulence when parasite growth is dependent on cooperative behaviours.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Reimplantation of infected total hip arthroplasties in the absence of antibiotic cement.

Twenty-two patients with deep infection of the hip were reimplanted and followed for a minimum of 3 years. All reimplantations were done without antibiotic-impregnated cement. Nine were done using cemented and 13 using cementless components. Two patients had recurrent infection. Both of these had primary Pseudomonas infections and had cemented revisions. At 3 or more years, 91% of patients are infection-free as determined by clinical evaluation, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and, in a few, aspiration. Cemented hips had less pain than cementless hips, although both had equivalent functional scores. The significance of these findings is that reimplantation of infected hips can be successfully accomplished without antibiotic-impregnated cement. Cementless fixation can therefore be used. Clinical results with cementless hips for reimplantation will improve with current designs and techniques.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Transferrin and lactoferrin undergo proteolytic cleavage in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis.

Bacterium- and neutrophil-derived proteases have been suggested to contribute to tissue injury at sites of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Pseudomonas elastase cleavage of transferrin enhances in vitro iron removal from this protein by the P. aeruginosa siderophore pyoverdin. This cleavage also generates new iron chelates which, in contrast to iron bound to transferrin, are able to catalyze formation of the highly cytotoxic hydroxyl radical from neutrophil-derived superoxide and hydrogen peroxide via the Haber-Weiss reaction. In order to determine whether this cleavage occurs in vivo, a chemiluminescence immunoblot system was developed to detect the presence of proteolysis products of transferrin or the related iron-binding protein, lactoferrin. Using this immunoblot system, we detected transferrin and lactoferrin cleavage products in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples from 21 of 22 and 20 of 21 cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, respectively. Three of eleven and two of nine BAL samples from individuals with other forms of chronic inflammatory lung disease had transferrin and lactoferrin cleavage products, respectively. Each patient in whom such products were detected was also infected with P. aeruginosa. No such products were detected in normal individuals. In the CF patients, there was no clear correlation between the extent of transferrin or lactoferrin cleavage and BAL neutrophil or P. aeruginosa concentration or the disease status of the patient. In contrast, in the non-CF patients with chronic inflammatory lung disease, transferrin and lactoferrin cleavage products were detected only in those BAL samples which contained the greatest concentration of both neutrophils and P. aeruginosa. These data provide evidence that P. aeruginosa- and/or human-derived protease cleavage of transferrin and lactoferrin occurs in vivo in the airways of individuals with CF and other forms of chronic lung disease, suggesting that this process could contribute to P. aeruginosa-associated lung injury in these patients.

Adult↗