Staphylococcus aureus empyema in cystic fibrosis.

Staphylococcal empyema is not a rare occurrence in patients with cystic fibrosis, 
occurring in as many as 4.5 per cent of such patients 
in our recent experience. In some patients, it may be the 
presenting illness in infancy. Cystic fibrosis patients with empyema now constitute 
a significant percentage (approximately 3 to 7 per cent) of the 
total number of patients hospitalized with empyema. Since most of these 
empyemas occur in infancy and most are of staphylococcal origin, sweat 
tests should be done on all infants admitted with staphylococcal pneumonia 
with or without empyema, particularly when recovery with adequate treatment is 
unduly prolonged. 