Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Encyclopedia : P : PS : PSE : Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacteria with unipolar motility . An opportunistic human pathogen, P. aeruginosa is also an opportunistic pathogen of plants .
Like other Pseudomonads, P. aeruginosa secretes a variety of pigments, including pyocyanin (blue-green), fluorescein (yellow-green and fluorescent), and pyorubin (red-brown). King, Ward, and Raney developed Pseudomonas Agar P (aka King A media) for enhancing pyocyanin and pyorubin production and Pseudomonas Agar F (aka King B media) for enhancing fluorescein production.
P. aeruginosa is often preliminarily identified by its pearlescent appearance and grape-like odor in vitro. Definitive clinical identification of P. aeruginosa often includes identifying the production of both pyocyanin and fluorescein as well as its ability to grow at 42°C. P. aeruginosa is capable of growth in diesel and jet fuel, where it is known as hydrocarbon utilizing microorganisms (or "HUM bugs"), causing microbial corrosion. It creates dark gellish mats sometimes improperly called "algae".
The name
The word Pseudomonas means 'false unit', from the Greek pseudo, meaning 'false', and monas, meaning a single unit. The word was used early in the history of microbiology to refer to germs. Aeruginosa is the Latin word for verdigris or 'copper rust'. This describes the blue-green bacterial pigment seen in laboratory cultures of P. aeruginosa.Pathogenesis
An opportunistic pathogen of immunocompromised individuals, P. aeruginosa typically infects the pulmonary tract, urinary tract, burns, wounds, and also causes other blood infections [Todar's Online Textbook of Bacteriology]. One in ten hospital acquired infections is from Pseudomonas. Cystic fibrosis patients are also predisposed to P. aeruginosa infection of the lungs. P. aeruginosa is also the typical cause of "hot-tub rash" (dermatitis), caused by lack of proper, periodic attention to water quality. The most common cause of burn infections is P. aerginosa.P. aeruginosa infections can be treated with antibiotics such as piperacillin, imipenem, tobramycin, or ciprofloxacin, among others. Like most Pseudomonas spp., P. aeruginosa are naturally resistant to penicillin and related beta-lactam antibiotics.
References
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