Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen and an ubiquitous environmental bacterium. Fifty-seven days after hospitalization, we isolated three distinct P. aeruginosa morphotypes (smooth, rough and mucoid) from the lower respiratory tract of a patient admitted to a Cardiology Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Moreover, a group of nine colony variants, arising from the three P. aeruginosa isolates growing in laboratory growth media, were also isolated. The resulting 12 isolates were characterised for antibiotic resistance profile and subjected to genotypic analysis by fluorescent-Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (f-AFLP) and automated repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (rep-PCR) fingerprinting. The three smooth, rough and mucoid morphotypes presented different antibiotic resistance profiles and genotyping analysis showed that they belonged to distinct clones, indicating that at day 57 after the admission the patient was simultaneously colonized by three distinct P. aeruginosa isolates. On the other hand, the nine colony variants presented heterogeneous antibiotic resistance profiles and clustered together with the three parental isolates. The understanding of the link between genotype plasticity and antibiotic resistance may contribute to improving our knowledge of this life-threatening pathogen. References 1. Aliaga L, Mediavilla JD, Cobo F. A clinical index predicting mortality with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteraemia. J Med Microbiol 2002; 51:615–19. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 2. Denervaud V, TuQuoc P, Blanc D, Favre-Bonte S, Krishnapillai V, Reimmann C, Haas D, van Delden C. Characterization of cell-to-cell signaling-deficient Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains colonizing intubated patients. J Clin Microbiol 2004; 42:554–62. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 3. Diaz E, Munoz E, Agbaht K, Rello J. Management of ventilator associated pneumonia caused by multiresistant bacteria. Curr Opin Crit Care 2007; 13:45–50. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 4. Pirnay JP, De Vos D, Cochez C, Bilocq F, Pirson J, Struelens M, Duinslaeger L, Cornelis P, Zizi M, Vanderkelen A. Molecular epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization in a burn unit: Persistence of a multidrug-resistant clone and a silver sulfadiazine-resistant clone. J Clin Microbiol 2003; 41:1192–202. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 5. Oliver A, Canton R, Campo P, Baquero F, Blazquez J. High frequency of hypermutable Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis lung infection. Science 2000; 288:1251–4. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 6. Silbert S, Barth AL, Sader HS. Heterogeneity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in brazilian cystic fibrosis patients. J Clin Microbiol 2001; 39:3976–81. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 7. Struelens MJ, Schwam V, Deplano A, Baran D. Genome macrorestriction analysis of diversity and variability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains infecting cystic fibrosis patients. J Clin Microbiol 1993; 31:2320–6. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 8. Tummler B. Clonal variations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In: Pseudomonas. Molecular biology of emerging issues. Ramos J., Levesque L., ed. Springer New York, 2006; p. 35. Crossref Google Scholar 9. Zierdt CH, Schmidt PJ. Dissociation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Bacteriol 1964; 87:1003–10. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 10. Finnan S, Morrissey JP, O'Gara F, Boyd EF. Genome diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients and the hospital environment. J Clin Microbiol 2004; 42:5783–92. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 11. Gastmeier P, Schwabb F, Bärwolffb S, Rüdenb H, Grundmannc H. Correlation between the genetic diversity of nosocomial pathogens and their survival time in intensive care units. J Hosp Infect. 2006; 62:181–6. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 12. Head NE, Yu H. Cross-sectional analysis of clinical and environmental isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Biofilm formation, virulence, and genome diversity. Infect Immun 2004; 72:133–44. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 13. Lanotte P, Watt S, Mereghetti L, Dartiguelongue N, Rastegar-Lari A, Goudeau A, Quentin R. Genetic features of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients compared with those of isolates from other origins. J Med Microbiol 2004; 53:73–81. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 14. Liang X, Pham XT, Olson MV, Lory S. Identification of a genomic island present in the majority of pathogenic isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Bacteriol 2001; 183:843–53. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 15. Ruimy R, Genauzeau E, Barnabe C, Beaulieu A, Tibayrenc M, Andremont A. Genetic diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from ventilated patients with nosocomial pneumonia, cancer patients with bacteremia, and environmental water. Infect Immun 2001; 69:584–8. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 16. Spencer DH, Kas A, Smith EE, Raymond CK, Sims EH, Hastings M, Burns JL, Kaul R, Olson MV. Whole-genome sequence variation among multiple isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J. Bacteriol. 2003; 185:1316–25. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 17. Stover CK, Pham XQ, Erwin AL, et al. Complete genome sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01, an opportunistic pathogen. Nature 2000; 406:959–64. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 18. Häußler S, Ziegler I, Löttel A, von Götz F, Rohde M, Wehmhöhner D, Saravanamuthu S, Tümmler B, Steinmetz I. Highly adherent small-colony variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis lung infection. J Med Microbiol 2003; 52:295–301. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 19. Harrington SM, Stock F, Kominski AL, Campbell JD, Hormazabal JC, Livio S, Rao L, Kotloff KL, Sow SO, Murray PR. Genotypic Analysis of Invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae from Mali, Africa, by Semiautomated Repetitive-Element PCR and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis. J Clin Microbiol 2007; 45:707–14. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 20. Ross TL, Merz WG, Farkosh M, Carroll KC. Comparison of an Automated Repetitive Sequence-Based PCR Microbial Typing System to Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis for analysis of outbreaks of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. J Clin Microbiol 2005; 43:5642–7. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 21. Speijer H, Savelkoul PHM, Bonten MJ, Stobberingh EE, Tjhie JHT. Application of different genotyping methods for Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a setting of endemicity in an intensive care unit. J Clin Microbiol 1999; 37:3654–61. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 22. Fonseca AP, Correia P, Sousa JC, Tenreiro R. Association patterns of Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates as revealed by virulence traits, antibiotic resistance, serotype and genotype. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 2007; 51:505–16. Crossref PubMed Google Scholar 23. Lomholt JA, Poulsen K, Kiliani M. Epidemic population structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Evidence for a clone that is pathogenic to the eye and that has a distinct combination of virulence factors. Infect Immun 2001; 69:6284–95. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 24. von Götz F, Häussler S, Jordan D, Saravanamuthu S, Wehmhöner D, Strüßmann A, Lauber S, Attree I, Tümmler JBB, Steinmetz I. Expression analysis of a highly adherent and cytotoxic small colony variant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from a lung of a patient with cystic fibrosis. J Bacteriol 2004; 186:3837–43. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar Similar articles: Free access Iron Availability Influences Aggregation, Biofilm, Adhesion and Invasion of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Burkholderia Cenocepacia Available access An Unusual Case of Corneal Perforation Secondary to Pseudomonas Keratitis Complicating a Patient's Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Unit Stay Free access Epidemiology and Prevention of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Chest Infection in an Intensive Care Unit Sage recommends: CQ Researcher Report Superbug Threat CQ Researcher Report Superbug Threat SAGE Knowledge Literature review Patient Outcomes for the Chronically Critically Ill: Special Care Unit versus Intensive Care Unit Download PDF Also from Sage CQ LibraryElevating debateopens in new tab Sage DataUncovering insightopens in new tab Sage Business CasesShaping futuresopens in new tab Sage CampusUnleashing potentialopens in new tab Sage KnowledgeMultimedia learning resourcesopens in new tab Sage Research MethodsSupercharging researchopens in new tab Sage VideoStreaming knowledgeopens in new tab Technology from SageLibrary digital servicesopens in new tab About About Sage Journals Accessibility guide Historical content Advertising disclaimer Permissions Terms of use Sage discipline hubs Sage microsites Information for Authors Editors Librarians Promoters / Advertisers Researchers Reviewers Societies Frequently asked questions International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology ISSN: 0394-6320 Online ISSN: 2058-7384 About SageContact usCCPA - Do not sell my personal informationCCPA Privacy Policy Copyright © 2025 by SAGE Publications Ltd unless otherwise noted. 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GENOTYPING OF DIFFERENT PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA MORPHOTYPES ARISING FROM THE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT OF A PATIENT TAKEN TO AN INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
Putignani L;
2008-01-01
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen and an ubiquitous environmental bacterium. Fifty-seven days after hospitalization, we isolated three distinct P. aeruginosa morphotypes (smooth, rough and mucoid) from the lower respiratory tract of a patient admitted to a Cardiology Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Moreover, a group of nine colony variants, arising from the three P. aeruginosa isolates growing in laboratory growth media, were also isolated. The resulting 12 isolates were characterised for antibiotic resistance profile and subjected to genotypic analysis by fluorescent-Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (f-AFLP) and automated repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (rep-PCR) fingerprinting. The three smooth, rough and mucoid morphotypes presented different antibiotic resistance profiles and genotyping analysis showed that they belonged to distinct clones, indicating that at day 57 after the admission the patient was simultaneously colonized by three distinct P. aeruginosa isolates. On the other hand, the nine colony variants presented heterogeneous antibiotic resistance profiles and clustered together with the three parental isolates. The understanding of the link between genotype plasticity and antibiotic resistance may contribute to improving our knowledge of this life-threatening pathogen. References 1. Aliaga L, Mediavilla JD, Cobo F. A clinical index predicting mortality with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteraemia. J Med Microbiol 2002; 51:615–19. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 2. Denervaud V, TuQuoc P, Blanc D, Favre-Bonte S, Krishnapillai V, Reimmann C, Haas D, van Delden C. Characterization of cell-to-cell signaling-deficient Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains colonizing intubated patients. J Clin Microbiol 2004; 42:554–62. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 3. Diaz E, Munoz E, Agbaht K, Rello J. Management of ventilator associated pneumonia caused by multiresistant bacteria. Curr Opin Crit Care 2007; 13:45–50. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 4. Pirnay JP, De Vos D, Cochez C, Bilocq F, Pirson J, Struelens M, Duinslaeger L, Cornelis P, Zizi M, Vanderkelen A. Molecular epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization in a burn unit: Persistence of a multidrug-resistant clone and a silver sulfadiazine-resistant clone. J Clin Microbiol 2003; 41:1192–202. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 5. Oliver A, Canton R, Campo P, Baquero F, Blazquez J. High frequency of hypermutable Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis lung infection. Science 2000; 288:1251–4. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 6. Silbert S, Barth AL, Sader HS. Heterogeneity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in brazilian cystic fibrosis patients. J Clin Microbiol 2001; 39:3976–81. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 7. Struelens MJ, Schwam V, Deplano A, Baran D. Genome macrorestriction analysis of diversity and variability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains infecting cystic fibrosis patients. J Clin Microbiol 1993; 31:2320–6. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 8. Tummler B. Clonal variations in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In: Pseudomonas. Molecular biology of emerging issues. Ramos J., Levesque L., ed. Springer New York, 2006; p. 35. Crossref Google Scholar 9. Zierdt CH, Schmidt PJ. Dissociation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Bacteriol 1964; 87:1003–10. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 10. Finnan S, Morrissey JP, O'Gara F, Boyd EF. Genome diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients and the hospital environment. J Clin Microbiol 2004; 42:5783–92. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 11. Gastmeier P, Schwabb F, Bärwolffb S, Rüdenb H, Grundmannc H. Correlation between the genetic diversity of nosocomial pathogens and their survival time in intensive care units. J Hosp Infect. 2006; 62:181–6. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 12. Head NE, Yu H. Cross-sectional analysis of clinical and environmental isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Biofilm formation, virulence, and genome diversity. Infect Immun 2004; 72:133–44. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 13. Lanotte P, Watt S, Mereghetti L, Dartiguelongue N, Rastegar-Lari A, Goudeau A, Quentin R. Genetic features of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients compared with those of isolates from other origins. J Med Microbiol 2004; 53:73–81. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 14. Liang X, Pham XT, Olson MV, Lory S. Identification of a genomic island present in the majority of pathogenic isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Bacteriol 2001; 183:843–53. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 15. Ruimy R, Genauzeau E, Barnabe C, Beaulieu A, Tibayrenc M, Andremont A. Genetic diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from ventilated patients with nosocomial pneumonia, cancer patients with bacteremia, and environmental water. Infect Immun 2001; 69:584–8. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 16. Spencer DH, Kas A, Smith EE, Raymond CK, Sims EH, Hastings M, Burns JL, Kaul R, Olson MV. Whole-genome sequence variation among multiple isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J. Bacteriol. 2003; 185:1316–25. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 17. Stover CK, Pham XQ, Erwin AL, et al. Complete genome sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01, an opportunistic pathogen. Nature 2000; 406:959–64. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 18. Häußler S, Ziegler I, Löttel A, von Götz F, Rohde M, Wehmhöhner D, Saravanamuthu S, Tümmler B, Steinmetz I. Highly adherent small-colony variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis lung infection. J Med Microbiol 2003; 52:295–301. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 19. Harrington SM, Stock F, Kominski AL, Campbell JD, Hormazabal JC, Livio S, Rao L, Kotloff KL, Sow SO, Murray PR. Genotypic Analysis of Invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae from Mali, Africa, by Semiautomated Repetitive-Element PCR and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis. J Clin Microbiol 2007; 45:707–14. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 20. Ross TL, Merz WG, Farkosh M, Carroll KC. Comparison of an Automated Repetitive Sequence-Based PCR Microbial Typing System to Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis for analysis of outbreaks of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. J Clin Microbiol 2005; 43:5642–7. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 21. Speijer H, Savelkoul PHM, Bonten MJ, Stobberingh EE, Tjhie JHT. Application of different genotyping methods for Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a setting of endemicity in an intensive care unit. J Clin Microbiol 1999; 37:3654–61. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 22. Fonseca AP, Correia P, Sousa JC, Tenreiro R. Association patterns of Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates as revealed by virulence traits, antibiotic resistance, serotype and genotype. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 2007; 51:505–16. Crossref PubMed Google Scholar 23. Lomholt JA, Poulsen K, Kiliani M. Epidemic population structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Evidence for a clone that is pathogenic to the eye and that has a distinct combination of virulence factors. Infect Immun 2001; 69:6284–95. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar 24. von Götz F, Häussler S, Jordan D, Saravanamuthu S, Wehmhöner D, Strüßmann A, Lauber S, Attree I, Tümmler JBB, Steinmetz I. Expression analysis of a highly adherent and cytotoxic small colony variant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from a lung of a patient with cystic fibrosis. J Bacteriol 2004; 186:3837–43. Crossref PubMed Web of Science Google Scholar Similar articles: Free access Iron Availability Influences Aggregation, Biofilm, Adhesion and Invasion of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Burkholderia Cenocepacia Available access An Unusual Case of Corneal Perforation Secondary to Pseudomonas Keratitis Complicating a Patient's Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Unit Stay Free access Epidemiology and Prevention of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Chest Infection in an Intensive Care Unit Sage recommends: CQ Researcher Report Superbug Threat CQ Researcher Report Superbug Threat SAGE Knowledge Literature review Patient Outcomes for the Chronically Critically Ill: Special Care Unit versus Intensive Care Unit Download PDF Also from Sage CQ LibraryElevating debateopens in new tab Sage DataUncovering insightopens in new tab Sage Business CasesShaping futuresopens in new tab Sage CampusUnleashing potentialopens in new tab Sage KnowledgeMultimedia learning resourcesopens in new tab Sage Research MethodsSupercharging researchopens in new tab Sage VideoStreaming knowledgeopens in new tab Technology from SageLibrary digital servicesopens in new tab About About Sage Journals Accessibility guide Historical content Advertising disclaimer Permissions Terms of use Sage discipline hubs Sage microsites Information for Authors Editors Librarians Promoters / Advertisers Researchers Reviewers Societies Frequently asked questions International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology ISSN: 0394-6320 Online ISSN: 2058-7384 About SageContact usCCPA - Do not sell my personal informationCCPA Privacy Policy Copyright © 2025 by SAGE Publications Ltd unless otherwise noted. Manuscript content on this site is licensed under Creative Commons LicensesI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
