Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections: persisting problems and current research to find new therapies.

Despite the availability of specific antibiotics, Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria still cause troublesome infections in patients with a variety of illnesses: extensive thermal injury, leukopenia from antineoplastic chemotherapy and other forms of immunosuppressive treatment, chronic pulmonary disease such as cystic fibrosis, or intravenous narcotic use. The use of antibiotics has improved the prognosis of pseudomonas infections considerably. However, patients with marginal or defective host immunity may need more extensive therapy to master the infection. By evaluating additional modalities of treatment such as granulocyte replacement, improved usage of antibiotics, and active (prophylaxis) or passive antibody administration, the optimal combination may be found.