Maria Pals Bendixen

Abstract Persistent bacterial infections constitute an increasing health problem, which is often associated with antibiotic resistance. However, investigations of chronic lung inflammation and persistent infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) show that treatment failures may instead be rooted in host-microbe interactions developing after bacterial colonization of the CF airways.

Abstract Macrolides are widely used antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial airway infections. Due to its elevated minimum inhibitory concentration in standardized culture media, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is considered intrinsically resistant and, therefore, antibiotic susceptibility testing against macrolides is not performed. Nevertheless, due to macrolides’ immunomodulatory effect and suppression of virulence factors, they are used for the treatment of persistent P. aeruginosa infections.