5 CONCLUSION
The current study presents to our knowledge, the first report of an
epidemic strain of P. aeruginosa among CF patients from South
Africa. The P. aeruginosa AUST-03 from the study setting were MDR
and similarly to strains from previous outbreaks, were associated with
CF patients experiencing pulmonary exacerbations. With the decrease in
WGS costs in South Africa, more frequent genomic surveillance of CF
pathogens is required. Epidemic strains of P. aeruginosa are
present at South African CF clinics and it is essential to take them
into account when implementing patient segregation and infection control
strategies.