1081 BACTERIOPHAGE ARE PRESENT IN THE SPUTUM OF PATIENTS WITH BRONCHOPULMONARY Ps. AERUGINOSA INFECTIONS

Although it is generally appreciated that Ps. aeruginosa specific-phage can be isolated from natural sources in which Ps. aeruginosa can be found, such as seawater and sewage, the presence of phage at the sites of Pseudomonas infection in man is not widely recognized. Using routine bacteriological procedures we show that species-specific phage can be consistently recovered from the sputum of patients with chronic Ps. aeruginosa bronchopulmonary infections, including 6 patients with cystic fibrosis and one non CF individual. Ps. aeruginosa specific-phage were present in sputum at concentrations ranging between 10(3) to 10(7) viable particles/ml with as many as 4 different phage strains recovered from a single individual. Of the 16 phage isolates, at least 12 different phage strains could be identified based on bacterial host sensitivity and electron microscopic morphology. It would appear that Ps. aeruginosa and its phage commonly coexist at the site of human bronchopulmonary infections, and most probably at all sites of Ps. aeruginosa infection, and should be considered as possible factors influencing the pathogenicity of Ps. aeruginosa.