Bacteriology of sputum in cystic fibrosis: evaluation of dithiothreitol as a mucolytic agent.

Liquefaction and homogenization have been recommended to ensure accurate, representative sputum cultures. We evaluated dithiothreitol (DTT) as mucolytic agent for culturing sputum samples obtained from 79 cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Liquefaction with DTT was not superior to direct plating of specimens for routine qualitative cultures. Unliquefied sputum cultures failed to direct 3 of 47 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates; DTT-treated specimens missed 5 of 13 Candida albicans isolates. Neither treated nor untreated sputum cultures were completely successful in detecting Staphylococcus aureus or Enterobacteriaceae. Since Haemophilus influenzae was recovered from only two qualitative cultures, we could not evaluate the effect of DTT on the receovery of this organism. However, 27 of 29 strains of H. influenzae were inhibited by concentrations of DTT near the recommended final working concentration of 50 micrograms/ml, suggesting that liquefaction might impair isolation of this organism. Liquefaction with DTT permitted quantitative cultures of CF sputum. The predominant pathogen in our CF population was P. aeruginosa; 37 of 43 (86%) patients were colonized with this organism. Median densities of rough and mucoid strains were 3.2 x 10(7) and 4.3 x 10(7) colony-forming units per ml, respectively. Previous oral antistaphylococcal therapy may have accounted for the observed low density of S. aureus (mean density, 3.5 x 10(3) colony-forming units per ml). We conclude that DTT treatment does not improve recovery of organisms from qualitative cultures but does facilitate quantitative studies of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa in CF sputum.