Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Essay -- Botany

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative aerobic bacterium with a rod shape, belonging to the family Pseudomonadadaceae. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a free living bacterium commonly found in soil, water, and occasionally on the surfaces of plants and the normal flora of animals (Todar, 2008). It acts as an opportunistic pathogen of humans and will infect almost any compromised tissue causing a range of infections from urinary tract infections, bacteremia, and a variety of systemic infections; especially in those with a compromised immune system (Todar, 2008). The infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be frustrating to clinicians because of its resistance to antibiotics. Primarily a nosocomial pathogen, it is known to cause ten percent of hospital-acquired infections (Todar, 2008). Pseudomonas aeruginosa is motile by means of a single polar flagellum used for adhesion and invasion during bacterial infection. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is omnipresent in soil and water or surfaces that come in contact with soil or water; as well as all manmade reservoirs. Its metabolism is always respiratory, but it will grow in the absence of oxygen if nitrous oxide is available to work as a respiratory electron acceptor (Todar, 2008). Its most favorable temperature for growth is thirty-seven degrees Celsius, but it can grow in temperatures as high as forty-two degrees (Medscape, 2009). In nature, Pseudomonas is a fast-swimming hearty bacterium because of its flagellum (Medscape, 2009). It has very simple nutritional requirements, making it easy to thrive almost anywhere. Organic growth factors are not required, yet it can use over seventy-five organic compounds for growth (Todar, 2008). Pseudomonas aeruginosa is tolerant of many conditio... ...the best way to treat an infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but it cannot always be prevented. Most strains are susceptible to gentamicin, tobramycin, and fluoroquinolins, but resistant strands have emerged making treatment virtually impossible (Todar, 2008). Works Cited Blackwell, Timothy S and Christman, John W. and Prince, Alice S. and Sadikot, Ruxana T. (2005). American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. In Pathogen-Host Interactions in Pseudamonas Pneumonia. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/short/171/11/1209 Todar, Kenneth PhD., Textbook of Bacteriology. Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin, 2008. Medscape. (December 9th, 2009). Drugs, Diseases, and Procedures. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections. Retrieved October 30, 2011, from http://emedicine.medscape.com.