| Summary: | <i>Exophiala dermatitidis</i> is increasingly isolated from cystic fibrosis (CF) respiratory samples. The decision to treat is hampered by limited evidence demonstrating the clinical significance of isolating <i>E. dermatitidis</i>. The objective was to assess the impact of <i>E. dermatitidis</i> isolation on the lung function of CF patients. The rate of lung function decline in the local CF population was calculated using historic lung function data. A control population who had never had <i>E. dermatitidis</i> cultured from the respiratory tract was compared with the <i>E. dermatitidis</i> group, calculating their rate of lung function decline before and after the first isolation of the organism. A total of 1840 lung function measurements were reviewed between the 31 <i>E. dermatitidis</i> group patients and 62 control patients. Their demographics were similar. The control group declined at a rate of −0.824 FEV1%/year. The rate of decline in the <i>E. dermatitidis</i> group prior to infection was −0.337 FEV1%/year (<i>p</i> = 0.2). However, post infection with <i>E. dermatitidis</i>, there was a significant increase in the rate of decline in lung function (−1.824 FEV1%/year, <i>p</i> < 0.01). The results suggest <i>E. dermatitidis</i> has a temporal relationship with accelerated rate of lung function decline. It is not clear if this is a cause or effect, but this accelerated rate of decline indicates a need for further investigation.
|
|---|
