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Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the common causes of nosocomial infections. Nosocomial infections are responsible for a prolonged hospital stay and also associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and increased economic burden on the patients and family as well as overburden the hospital staff. Globally overall SSI rate varies from 2.5% – 41.9% resulting in high morbidity and mortality. However, a simple step such as hand washing, knowledge of bacteriological profile of SSIs in a hospital, and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of those isolates would help clinicians in choosing the empirical antibiotic treatment and curtail the SSIs. Objectives: The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of SSI, to isolate the causative organisms, and to study their antibiotic susceptibility pattern in a hospital. Materials and methods: The present hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital in northern Telangana, India, from August 2017 to June 2018. All pus specimens from patients of clinically suspected SSIs that were received in the microbiology laboratory were processed as per standard microbiological techniques. The data recorded and maintained in the microbiology laboratory register was reviewed and analyzed for the study. Data was analyzed by calculating the percentages and applying the Chi-square test. The p-value

Abstract Background COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is burdened by high mortality. Data are lacking about non-ICU patients. Aims of this study were to: (i) assess the incidence and prevalence of CAPA in a respiratory sub-intensive care unit, (ii) evaluate its risk factors and (iii) impact on in-hospital mortality. Secondary aims were to: (i) assess factors associated to mortality, and (ii) evaluate significant features in hematological patients. Materials and methods This was a single-center, retrospective study of COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure. A cohort of CAPA patients was compared to a non-CAPA cohort. Among patients with CAPA, a cohort of hematological patients was further compared to another of non-hematological patients. Results Three hundred fifty patients were included in the study. Median P/F ratio at the admission to sub-intensive unit was 225 mmHg (IQR 155–314). 55 (15.7%) developed CAPA (incidence of 5.5%). Eighteen had probable CAPA (37.3%), 37 (67.3%) possible CAPA and none proven CAPA. Diagnosis of CAPA occurred at a median of 17 days (IQR 12–31) from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Independent risk factors for CAPA were hematological malignancy [OR 1.74 (95%CI 0.75–4.37), p = 0.0003], lymphocytopenia [OR 2.29 (95%CI 1.12–4.86), p = 0.02], and COPD [OR 2.74 (95%CI 1.19–5.08), p = 0.014]. Mortality rate was higher in CAPA cohort (61.8% vs 22.7%, p 65 years resulted a predictor of mortality [OR 5.09 (95% CI 1.20–26.92), p = 0.035]. No differences were observed in hematological cohort. Conclusion CAPA is a life-threatening condition with high mortality rates. It should be promptly suspected, especially in case of hematological malignancy, COPD and lymphocytopenia.

Abstract Background Breast Cancer (BC) can be classified, due to its heterogeneity, into multiple subtypes that differ for prognosis and clinical management. Notably, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) – the most aggressive BC form – is refractory to endocrine and most of the target therapies. In this view, taxane-based therapy still represents the elective strategy for the treatment of this tumor. However, due variability in patients’ response, management of TNBC still represents an unmet medical need. Telomeric Binding Factor 2 (TRF2), a key regulator of telomere integrity that is over-expressed in several tumors, including TNBC, has been recently found to plays a role in regulating autophagy, a degradative process that is involved in drug detoxification. Based on these considerations, we pointed, here, at investigating if TRF2, regulating autophagy, can affect tumor sensitivity to therapy. Methods Human TNBC cell lines, over-expressing or not TRF2, were subjected to treatment with different taxanes and drug efficacy was tested in terms of autophagic response and cell proliferation. Autophagy was evaluated first biochemically, by measuring the levels of LC3, and then by immunofluorescence analysis of LC3-puncta positive cells. Concerning the proliferation, cells were subjected to colony formation assays associated with western blot and FACS analyses. The obtained results were then confirmed also in mouse models. Finally, the clinical relevance of our findings was established by retrospective analysis on a cohort of TNBC patients subjected to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Results This study demonstrated that TRF2, inhibiting autophagy, is able to increase the sensitivity of TNBC cells to taxanes. The data, first obtained in in vitro models, were then recapitulated in preclinical mouse models and in a cohort of TNBC patients, definitively demonstrating that TRF2 over-expression enhances the efficacy of taxane-based neoadjuvant therapy in reducing tumor growth and its recurrence upon surgical intervention. Conclusions Based on our finding it is possible to conclude that TRF2, already known for its role in promoting tumor formation and progression, might represents an Achilles’ heel for cancer. In this view, TRF2 might be exploited as a putative biomarker to predict the response of TNBC patients to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Abstract Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive disorder with unknown etiology. To date, the identification of new diagnostic, prognostic and progression biomarkers of IPF turns out to be necessary. MicroRNA (miRNA) are small non-coding RNAs which negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level in several biological and pathological processes. An aberrant regulation of gene expression by miRNA is often associated with various diseases, including IPF. As result, miRNAs have emerged as potential biomarkers with relevance to pulmonary fibrosis. Several reports suggested that miRNAs are secreted as microvesicles or exosome, and hance they are stable and can be readily detected in the circulation. In the contest of miRNAs as circulating biomarkers, different studies show their role in various types of interstitial lung diseases and suggest that these small molecules could be used as prognostic markers of the disease. Exosomes are small, lipid-bound vesicles able to carry various elements of the naïve cells such as proteins, lipids, mRNAs and miRNA to facilitate cell communication under normal and diseases condition. Exosomal miRNAs (exo-miRNA) have been studied in relation to many diseases. However, there is little or no knowledge regarding exo-miRNA in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in IPF. Our study's aim is to evaluate the changes in the expression of two exo-miRNAs in BAL, respectively miR-21 and miR-92a, through highlighting the differences between IPF, progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) and not-progressive pulmonary fibrosis (nPPF). Methods Exosomes were characterized by Western Blot and Multiplex Surface Marker Analysis. Exosomal miRNA expression was performed by qRT-PCR. ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis test, based on data normality, was used to compare the differential expression between groups. Results MiR-21 expression was significantly higher in the nPPF group than in both IPF and PPF. A result that could point above a possible role of miR-21, as a biomarker in the differential diagnosis between PPF and nPPF. MiR-92a, indeed, was down regulated in PPF compared to IPF and down regulated in PPF compared to nPPF. Conclusions This study demonstrated the putative role of both miR-21 and miR-92a as possible biomarkers of pulmonary fibrosis progression. Moreover, the role of exo-miRNAs is examined as a possible future direction that could lead to new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of progressive and non-progressive pulmonary fibrosis.

Abstract Background Little is known on the burden of co-infections and superinfections in a specific setting such as the respiratory COVID-19 sub-intensive care unit. This study aims to (i) assess the prevalence of concurrent and superinfections in a respiratory sub-intensive care unit, (ii) evaluate the risk factors for superinfections development and (iii) assess the impact of superinfections on in-hospital mortality. Methods Single-center retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data including COVID-19 patients hospitalized in a newly established respiratory sub-intensive care unit managed by pneumologists which has been set up from September 2020 at a large (1200 beds) University Hospital in Rome. Inclusion criteria were: (i) COVID-19 respiratory failure and/or ARDS; (ii) hospitalization in respiratory sub-intensive care unit and (iii) age > 18 years. Survival was analyzed by Kaplan–Meier curves and the statistical significance of the differences between the two groups was assessed using the log-rank test. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox regression model were performed to tease out the independent predictors for superinfections’ development and for mortality, respectively. Results A total of 201 patients were included. The majority (106, 52%) presented severe COVID-19. Co-infections were 4 (1.9%), whereas 46 patients (22%) developed superinfections, mostly primary bloodstream infections and pneumonia. In 40.6% of cases, multi-drug resistant pathogens were detected, with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CR-Ab) isolated in 47%. Overall mortality rate was 30%. Prior (30-d) infection and exposure to antibiotic therapy were independent risk factors for superinfection development whereas the development of superinfections was an independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality. CR-Ab resulted independently associated with 14-d mortality. Conclusion In a COVID-19 respiratory sub-intensive care unit, superinfections were common and represented an independent predictor of mortality. CR-Ab infections occurred in almost half of patients and were associated with high mortality. Infection control rules and antimicrobial stewardship are crucial in this specific setting to limit the spread of multi-drug resistant organisms.

This paper reports on the design, implementation, and characterization of a current-mode analog-front-end circuit for capacitance-to-voltage conversion that can be used in connection with a large variety of sensors and actuators in industrial and rehabilitation medicine applications. The circuit is composed by: (i) an oscillator generating a square wave signal whose frequency and pulse width is a function of the value of input capacitance; (ii) a passive low-pass filter that extracts the DC average component of the square wave signal; (iii) a DC-DC amplifier with variable gain ranging from 1 to 1000. The circuit has been designed in the current-mode approach by employing the second-generation current conveyor circuit, and has been implemented by using commercial discrete components as the basic blocks. The circuit allows for gain and sensitivity tunability, offset compensation and regulation, and the capability to manage various ranges of variations of the input capacitance. For a circuit gain of 1000, the measured circuit sensitivity is equal to 167.34 mV/pF with a resolution in terms of capacitance of 5 fF. The implemented circuit has been employed to measure the variations of the capacitance of a McKibben pneumatic muscle associated with the variations of its length that linearly depend on the circuit output voltage. Under step-to-step conditions of movement of the pneumatic muscle, the overall system sensitivity is equal to 70 mV/mm with a standard deviation error of the muscle length variation of 0.008 mm.

Background Respiratory failure is a severe complication in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia that, in addition to oxygen therapy, may require continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) support. It has been postulated that COVID-19 lung injury may share some features with those observed in hyperoxic acute lung injury. Thus, a correct target arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) during oxygen supplementation may be crucial to protect the lung from further tissue damage. The aims of this study were: 1) to evaluate the effects of conservative oxygen supplementation during helmet CPAP therapy on mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission in patients with COVID-19 and respiratory failure, and 2) to evaluate the effect of conservative oxygen supplementation on new-onset organ failure and secondary pulmonary infections. Methods This was a single-centre, historically controlled study of patients with severe respiratory failure due to COVID-19 pneumonia, receiving either conservative or nonconservative oxygen supplementation during helmet CPAP. A cohort receiving conservative oxygen supplementation was studied prospectively in which oxygen supplementation was administered with a target PaO2

Abstract Breast cancer cell colonization of the lungs is associated with a dismal prognosis as the distributed nature of the disease and poor permeability of the metastatic foci challenge the therapeutic efficacy of small molecules, antibodies, and nanomedicines. Taking advantage of the unique physiology of the pulmonary circulation, here, micro‐combinatorial hydrogel particles (µCGP) are realized via soft lithographic techniques to enhance the specific delivery of a cocktail of cytotoxic nanoparticles to metastatic foci. By cross‐linking short poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains with erodible linkers within a shape‐defining template, a deformable and biodegradable polymeric skeleton is realized and loaded with a variety of therapeutic and imaging agents, including docetaxel‐nanoparticles. In a model of advanced breast cancer lung metastasis, µCGP amplified the colocalization of docetaxel‐nanoparticles with pulmonary metastatic foci, prolonged the retention of chemotoxic molecules at the diseased site, suppressed lesion growth, and boosted survival beyond 20 weeks post nodule engraftment. The flexible design and modular architecture of µCGP would allow the efficient deployment of complex combination therapies in other vascular districts too, possibly addressing metastatic diseases of different origins.

Natural Killer (NK) cells are key innate effectors of antiviral immune response, and their activity changes in ageing and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Here, we investigated the age-related changes of NK cell phenotype and function during SARS-CoV-2 infection, by comparing adult and elderly patients both requiring mechanical ventilation. Adult patients had a reduced number of total NK cells, while elderly showed a peculiar skewing of NK cell subsets towards the CD56lowCD16high and CD56neg phenotypes, expressing activation markers and check-point inhibitory receptors. Although NK cell degranulation ability is significantly compromised in both cohorts, IFN-γ production is impaired only in adult patients in a TGF-β−dependent manner. This inhibitory effect was associated with a shorter hospitalization time of adult patients suggesting a role for TGF-β in preventing an excessive NK cell activation and systemic inflammation. Our data highlight an age-dependent role of NK cells in shaping SARS-CoV-2 infection toward a pathophysiological evolution.

Introduction: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI) is one of the main causes of acute renal failure in hospitalized patients, following the administration of iodinated contrast medium used for CT scans and angiographic procedures. CIAKI determines a high cardiovascular risk and appears to be one of the most feared complications of coronary angiography, causing a notable worsening of the prognosis with high morbidity and mortality. Aim: To evaluate a possible association between the renal resistive index (RRI) and the development of CIAKI, as well as an association with the main subclinical markers of atherosclerosis and the main cardiovascular risk factors. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 101 patients with an indication for coronary angiography. Patients underwent an assessment of renal function (serum nitrogen and basal creatinine, 48 and 72 h after administration of contrast medium), inflammation (C reactive protein (CRP), serum calcium and phosphorus, intact parathormone (iPTH), 25-hydroxyvitaminD (25-OH-VitD), serum uric acid (SUA), total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum glucose and insulin). All patients also carried out an evaluation of RRI, intima-media thickness (IMT), interventricular septum (IVS) and the ankle-brachial index (ABI). Results: 101 patients (68 male), with a mean age of 73.0 ± 15.0 years, were enrolled for the study; 35 are affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus. A total of 19 cases of CIAKI were reported (19%), while among diabetic patients we reported an incidence of 23% (8 patients). In our study, patients with CIAKI had significantly higher RRI (p < 0.001) and IMT (p < 0.001) with respect to the patients who did not develop CIAKI. Furthermore, patients with CIAKI had significantly higher CRP (p < 0.001) and SUA (p < 0.006). Conclusions: We showed a significant difference in RRI, IMT, SUA and CRP values between the population developing CIAKI and patients without CIAKI. This data appears relevant considering that RRI and IMT are low-cost, non-invasive and easily reproducible markers of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a disease that is spreading worldwide and is responsible for a huge number of deaths annually. It is characterized by progressive and often irreversible airflow obstruction, with a heterogeneous clinical manifestation based on disease severity. Along with pulmonary impairment, COPD patients display different grades of malnutrition that can be linked to a worsening of respiratory function and to a negative prognosis. Nutritional impairment seems to be related to a reduced exercise tolerance and to dyspnoea becoming a major determinant in patient-perceived quality of life. Many strategies have been proposed to limit the effects of malnutrition on disease progression, but there are still limited data available to determine which of them is the best option to manage COPD patients. The purpose of this review is to highlight the main aspects of COPD-related malnutrition and to underline the importance of poor nutritional state on muscle energetics, exercise tolerance and dyspnoea.

The primary purpose of the current research was to examine the psychometric properties of the Time Flow Mindfulness Questionnaire (TFMQ), a new self-report scale designed to measure cognitive, emotional, bodily, context-related, and action-related distracting inputs experienced by the mind during three different time windows of mindfulness practice (preliminary moments, during-the-practice, after-the-practice). The 42-item scale assesses the following second-order and first-order factors: Practice (preliminary, during), Benefits (short-term, long-term) and Benefits at work. Three studies were conducted. The first study assessed the factor structure and internal consistency on a sample of 141 mindfulness practitioners. Using a two-wave lagged design on a different sample of 46 trainees attending mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) courses, the second study examined concurrent validity by performing correlations between the TFMQ and Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). The third study (same sample as Study 1) examined criterion validity by testing a structural equation model wherein mindfulness practice predicts job burnout, both directly and indirectly through mindfulness benefits at work. All studies relied on anonymous surveys. Our findings suggest that the TFMQ: (a) has a factor structure consistent with the hypothesized conceptual dimensions; (b) has good concurrent validity as demonstrated by significant correlations with the FFMQ dimensions; and (c) consists of mindfulness dimensions that predict job burnout in organizations (i.e., criterion validity). The TFMQ is a valid and reliable mindfulness measure that may help (a) practitioners gain awareness of different types of inputs that potentially distract the mind and mindfulness beneficial consequences, and (b) organizations implement mindfulness in work-settings.

Abstract Background Regular physical activity (PA) is a valued part of cystic fibrosis (CF) care. Although the accelerometer, SenseWear Armband (SWA), accurately measures habitual PA in CF, it is mostly used for research purposes. For the first time, we analyzed different methods of measuring PA in daily life by the use of smartphones and other electronic devices such as smartwatch and Fitbit. Methods Twenty-four stable adults with CF (mean age 37.5 ± 11.5SD yrs.; FEV1 58 ± 19% predicted, BMI 22.9 ± 3.2) were studied. Daily PA was monitored for seven consecutive days. All patients wore the accelerometer SWA and at the same time they monitored PA with the electronic device they used routinely. They were allocated into one of four arms according to their device: Smartwatch, Fitbit, Android smartphones and iOS smartphones. PA related measurements included: duration of PA, energy expenditure, number of steps. Results There was a good agreement between SWA and Fitbit for number of steps (p = 0.605) and energy expenditure (p = 0.143). iOS smartphones were similar to SWA in monitoring the number of steps (p = 0.911). Significant differences were found between SWA and both Smartwatch and Android smartphones. Conclusions Fitbit and iOS smartphones seem to be a valuable approach to monitor daily PA. They provide a good performance to measure step number compared to SWA.

This document reviews 1) the measurement properties of commonly used exercise tests in patients with chronic respiratory diseases and 2) published studies on their utilty and/or evaluation obtained from MEDLINE and Cochrane Library searches between 1990 and March 2015.Exercise tests are reliable and consistently responsive to rehabilitative and pharmacological interventions. Thresholds for clinically important changes in performance are available for several tests. In pulmonary arterial hypertension, the 6-min walk test (6MWT), peak oxygen uptake and ventilation/carbon dioxide output indices appear to be the variables most responsive to vasodilators. While bronchodilators do not always show clinically relevant effects in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high-intensity constant work-rate (endurance) tests (CWRET) are considerably more responsive than incremental exercise tests and 6MWTs. High-intensity CWRETs need to be standardised to reduce interindividual variability. Additional physiological information and responsiveness can be obtained from isotime measurements, particularly of inspiratory capacity and dyspnoea. Less evidence is available for the endurance shuttle walk test. Although the incremental shuttle walk test and 6MWT are reliable and less expensive than cardiopulmonary exercise testing, two repetitions are needed at baseline. All exercise tests are safe when recommended precautions are followed, with evidence suggesting that no test is safer than others.

Abstract Background To date, very little information is available concerning the relationship between acanthosis nigricans (AN) and infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Case presentation Herein, we report the case of a middle-aged man admitted for fever and progressively worsening dyspnea in the context of an opportunistic pneumonia and firstly diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). At the time of diagnosis, physical examination revealed the presence of a palpable, hyperpigmented skin lesion on the left areola with surface desquamation and velvety texture consistent with AN. Of note, the most common primary etiologies related to AN were excluded and the complete regression of the skin lesion was observed once antiretroviral therapy was started. Conclusion This is the second report of AN found in patients with AIDS and apparently responsive to prolonged antiretroviral treatment. Possible explanations of this association are still not completely understood, probably related to virus-induced changes in lipid metabolism. Our experience suggests that HIV testing should always be considered in the setting of apparently idiopathic AN.

The McKibben muscle types are pneumatic actuators known to be intrinsically safe for their high power-to-weight ratio. For these reasons, they are suitable for robotic, biomechanical, and medical applications. In these application fields and, above all, in collaborative robotics, where safety must be ensured for human–robot interactions, the values of pressure, force, and length are necessary and must be continuously monitored and controlled. Force and pressure transducers are commercially available to be integrated into a McKibben muscle type. On the contrary, no commercial-length transducers can be adopted. This work presents a novel McKibben muscle prototype with an embedded capacitive-length transducer. The latter is a cylindrical capacitor made of a telescopic system composed of two tubes: one of its ends is connected to the muscle. A change in the length of the muscle causes a proportional change in the transducer capacitance. The paper reports in detail on the working principle of McKibben’s muscle, its fabrication, characterization, and validation of four prototype capacitive transducers. The results achieved from the experimental activities demonstrate that it is possible to control the variations of the muscle length relative to its elongation and compression for values less than 1 mm. This is the consequence of the ability to measure the transducer capacitance with a typical statistical relative indetermination better than 0.25%, which is a figure of merit for the reliability and mechanical and electrical stability of the proposed McKibben muscle prototype. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the transducer capacitance as a function of the muscle length is linear, with maximum deviations from linearity equal to 2.44% and 5.22% during the muscle elongation and compression, respectively.

Early diagnosis and continuous monitoring of respiratory failure (RF) in the course of the most prevalent chronic cardio-vascular (CVD) and respiratory diseases (CRD) are a clinical, unresolved problem because wearable, non-invasive, and user-friendly medical devices, which could grant reliable measures of the oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (HR) in real-life during daily activities are still lacking. In this study, we investigated the agreement between a new medical wrist-worn device (BrOxy M) and a reference, medical pulseoximeter (Nellcor PM 1000N). Twelve healthy volunteers (aged 20–51 years, 84% males, 33% with black skin, obtaining, during the controlled hypoxia test, the simultaneous registration of 219 data pairs, homogeneously deployed in the levels of Sat.O2 97%, 92%, 87%, 82% [ISO 80601-2-61:2017 standard (paragraph EE.3)]) were included. The paired T test 0 and the Bland-Altman plot were performed to assess bias and accuracy. SpO2 and HR readings by the two devices resulted significantly correlated (r = 0.91 and 0.96, p < 0.001, respectively). Analyses excluded the presence of proportional bias. For SpO2, the mean bias was −0.18% and the accuracy (ARMS) was 2.7%. For HR the mean bias was 0.25 bpm and the ARMS3.7 bpm. The sensitivity to detect SpO2 ≤ 94% was 94.4%. The agreement between BrOxy M and the reference pulse oximeter was “substantial” (for SpO2 cut-off 94% and 90%, k = 0.79 and k = 0.80, respectively). We conclude that BrOxy M demonstrated accuracy, reliability and consistency in measuring SpO2 and HR, being fully comparable with a reference medical pulseoxymeter, with no adverse effects. As a wearable device, Broxy M can measure continually SpO2 and HR in everyday life, helping in detecting and following up CVD and CRD subjects.

Abstract Background Burkholderia contaminans is one of the 20 closely related bacterial of the Burkholderia cepacia complex, a group of bacteria that are ubiquitous in the environment and capable of infecting people with cystic fibrosis (CF). This species is an emerging pathogen and it has been widely isolated from CF patients in Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Canada, USA with a low prevalence in Ireland, France, Russia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Italy. This is the first report of B. contaminans affecting two Italian CF patients attending the same CF Centre. We correlate B. contaminans colonisation with lung function decline and co-infection with other clinically relevant CF pathogens. Case presentation B. contaminans was identified by Multi Locus Sequence Typing in routine sputum analysis of two Caucasian CF women homozygous for Phe508del CFTR mutation. Sequence Type 102 was detected in both strains. It is known that B. contaminans ST102 was isolated both from CF and non-CF patients, with an intercontinental spread across the world. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA analysis revealed the genetic relatedness between the two strains. We examined their susceptibility to antimicrobial agents, comparing the latter with that recorded for other B. contaminans isolated from different countries. We also described key virulence factors possibly linked with a clinical outcome. Specifically, we attempted to correlate colonization with the incidence of acute exacerbation of symptoms and lung function decline. Conclusions This case presentation suggests that acquisition of B. contaminans ST102 is not directly associated with a lung function decline. We retain that the presence of other CF pathogens (i.e. MRSA and Trichosporon) along with B. contaminans ST102 might have contributed to the worsening of clinical conditions in our CF patients. The circumstances leading to the establishment of B. contaminans ST102 infections are still unknown. We highlight the importance to proper detect and typing bacteria implicated in CF infection by using molecular techniques.