TORPEDO-CF Clinical Trial Seeks Participants for Antibiotic Study

Patients living with cystic fibrosis (CF) are at increased risk for acquiring and developing severe respiratory infections. The most worrisome pathogen is Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PsA), which is treated with powerful antibiotics either via oral, intravenous, or inhaled antibiotics. While these treatments are known to work, there has yet to be a conclusive study that identifies which route is the best for CF patients.

TORPEDO-CF is a first-of-its-kind study designed to compare oral and IV antibiotic administration. Studies that help identify optimized methods of delivering treatments are especially important in addressing PsA, as this pathogen can cause irreversible lung damage – something cystic fibrosis patients cannot afford to develop. Results from this study can help physicians prescribe the most appropriate treatment type for newer isolations of PsA, thereby increasing CF patients’ chances of avoiding chronic infections.

The TORPEDO-CF team is actively recruiting willing participants across the United Kingdom until September 2016. To date, they have successfully enrolled 223 participants out of the minimum requirement of 280 to legitimize the study.

There has been a standstill on recruitment since March 2015, and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust is urging CF patients who do not have chronic P. aeruginosa, and those who may know someone who would be interested in joining the study to get in contact with the research team.

To learn more, visit the TORPEDO-CF website.

In other recent CF news, researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia recently reported that the mobility of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients between care centers increases the risk of transmission of the associated bacterial Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. The study was published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine and is entitled “The social network of cystic fibrosis centre care and shared Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain infection: a cross-sectional analysis.”

In total, researchers assessed 983 CF patients (mean age of 25 years) from whom they isolated and identified 531 distinct genotypes of P. aeruginosa. Of these genotypes, 493 were found to be unique strains in 373 patients, whereas 38 were shared strains in 610 patients. Based on their model, researchers concluded that the mobility of CF patients within CF centers is a potential key risk factor for the acquisition of shared P. aeruginosa strain infections.