Pseudomonas aeruginosa septicaemia from an oral source

Oral colonisation with aerobic Gram-negative bacilli (AGNB) is abnormal and usually indicates a medically compromised state in the host. It has been postulated that oral colonisation with AGNB may predispose a patient to serious systemic infection, but proof of this assertion is lacking. This report describes an elderly patient who had oral colonisation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and developed septicaemia from an identical strain of this bacterium.