Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa co-infection is associated with cystic fibrosis-related diabetes and poor clinical outcomes

Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) patients suffer from accelerated rates of pulmonary decline compared to cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with normal glucose tolerance (NGT). However, the mechanisms underlying this difference are unknown. While CFRD is associated with increased respiratory infections, a link between infection and enhanced pulmonary dysfunction remains unclear. The development of glucose intolerance is spectral, resulting in impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) prior to the diagnosis of CFRD. Inclusion of IGT patients within the NGT group may diminish the ability to identify correlations with CFRD. With this in mind, this study aimed to determine if the association between CFRD and respiratory infections is correlated with pulmonary decline. Respiratory cultures from 234 CF patients with confirmed diagnosis of NGT or CFRD were analyzed to measure rates of infection, focusing on the two most prevalent bacteria in CF, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Infection status was correlated with pulmonary function and confounding clinical variables including age, gender, blood glucose levels, and CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) phenotype were considered in multivariate analyses. CFRD patients, particularly those with extremely high blood glucose levels, were more likely than NGT patients to be co-infected with S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, compared to infection with only one pathogen. Co-infection was associated with decreased lung function and increased frequency of pulmonary exacerbations, even after adjustment for confounding variables. Alterations in the microbial community composition, as opposed to the presence of a single pathogen, may account for greater pulmonary decline in CFRD patients.