Matrix metalloproteases in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with type III Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia.

Objectives: In patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III (TTSS) secreting isolates have been linked to poor clinical outcomes. Differential expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) induced by type III effector proteins may herald an irreversible lung injury.

Methods: Serial bronchoalveolar lavage fluids collected from 41 patients with P.