Superinfection with a transmissible strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in adults with cystic fibrosis chronically colonised by P aeruginosa

Infection with transmissible strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa can occur in uncolonised patients, but cross infection (superinfection) of patients already colonised with P aeruginosa has not been reported. With genotypic identification, we found superinfection by a multiresistant transmissible strain of P aeruginosa in four patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who were already colonised by unique strains of P aeruginosa. No evidence of environmental contamination was found, but all patients became superinfected after contact with colonised individuals during inpatient stays. Inpatients with CF who are colonised with P aeruginosa should be separated by strain type. Such strain typing can only be reliably done by genomic methods, but this has resource implications.