ABSTRACT
I. Introduction to Mucus and Mucociliary Clearance The unavoidable development of chronic bacterial lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) results from a significant defect in lung host defenses. Because adaptive defenses appear to be intact in patients with CF, a search for mechanisms to explain impaired innate defense of the lung has been vigorously pursued. The mucus clearance apparatus plays a key role in lung defense, thus it is not surprising that it has become a prime focus of study and therapeutic development for CF.
