 the cystic fibrosis ( cf ) respiratory tract is inhabited by complex polymicrobial communities [ 14 ] . 
 the sinonasal site has been proposed as a gateway and reservoir for subsequent pulmonary infection with the major cf pathogens like pseudomonas aeruginosa [ 5 , 6 ] . to colonise and infect the lungs 
 , the bacteria must first colonise the oropharynx and then , on occasion , pass this barrier . here , we report on the adherence of p. aeruginosa to oropharyngeal epithelial cells , namely buccal epithelial cells that were collected from cf patients during the initial and chronic phase of p. aeruginosa lung colonisation , and from p. aeruginosa - negative patients . based on an assay with radioactively labelled bacteria published in the late 1970s [ 7 ] 
 , we established a low - cost , nonradioactive assay of p. aeruginosa adherence to buccal epithelial cells that may be useful for patient monitoring or as a biomarker for clinical studies . 
Disclosures