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Lung transplantation is an option for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), but the procedure remains controversial. Previous studies have suggested that pulmonary infection with Burkholderia cepacia is associated with increased risk for posttransplantation infections and poor outcomes. Some centers will not perform transplants in patients with Burkholderia infection.
B. cepacia, once believed to be a single species, is now recognized as a complex of several closely related organisms. Two species —B. cenocepacia and B. multivorans— account for most of the B. cepacia complex infections in the U.S. Species not in the B. cepacia complex, such as B. gladioli, also cause chronic respiratory tract infection in persons with CF. To determine the role…