How Mutant CFTR May Contribute to <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> Infection in Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract excerpt

Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have a pronounced hypersusceptibility (80 to 90%) to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. We hypothesized that airway epithelial cell ingestion of bacteria followed by cellular desquamation may protect the lung from infection, and epithelial cells expressing mutant forms of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) may be defective in this function. We found...