Extrapulmonary abscess formation due to Pseudomonas cepacia in a cystic fibrosis patient

A 19-year-old immunocompetent cystic fibrosis patient with recurrent neck abscesses due to a multiresistant Pseudomonas cepacia is described. After 13 drainage procedures over a two-year period, a trial of interferon-gamma therapy to enhance monocyte function was attempted. The patient had one minor recurrence but has otherwise been symptom free for almost two years. P cepacia is an unusual cause of extrapulmonary abscess formation. Such abscesses may not present with classical signs of inflammation, are likely to be multiresistant and to require surgical drainage. Immunotherapy may be justified in the immunocompetent host when infection is refractory to medical and surgical therapy.