Moreover, while CF macrophages are known to have impaired phagocytosis and bacterial killing, this has been shown to be mainly due to the CF lung environment, inflammation, expression of dysfunctional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in macrophages, and other defects associated with CFTR dysfunction in macrophages and other immune cells (37, 38). Here, CFTR is linked to cystic fibrosis.