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Published on: October 6, 2010

Small and rough colony pseudomonas aeruginosa with elevated biofilm formation ability isolated in hospitalized

Takako Ikeno1, Kazumasa Fukuda, Midori Ogawa

  • 1Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University Hospital, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 807-8555, Japan..

Microbiology and Immunology
|October 24, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Pseudomonas aeruginosa can spontaneously form highly adherent small rough (SR) variants in hospitalized patients. These variants exhibit increased biofilm formation and may contribute to hospital-acquired infections.

Area of Science:

  • Clinical Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Bacterial Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a significant cause of nosocomial infections, particularly in vulnerable patients like those with cystic fibrosis (CF).
  • Small colony variants (SCVs) of P. aeruginosa, characterized by high adherence, are frequently observed in CF patients.
  • Atypical small and rough (SR) colony variants of P. aeruginosa were identified during routine laboratory testing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the characteristics and prevalence of atypical P. aeruginosa SR colony variants in a hospital setting.
  • To compare the biofilm formation abilities of SR variants with their wild-type (WT) counterparts.
  • To assess the potential for SR variants to spread within a hospital environment.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation and characterization of P. aeruginosa SR variants from clinical samples.
  • Comparative analysis of SR and WT colonies for biochemical features, antimicrobial susceptibility, PFGE profiles, serotypes, and twitching motility.
  • Assessment of biofilm formation capacity in SR and WT isolates.
  • Epidemiological surveillance of SR variant prevalence in P. aeruginosa-positive patients and isolates over six months.

Main Results:

  • SR and WT P. aeruginosa colonies exhibited similar biochemical profiles, antimicrobial susceptibilities, PFGE patterns, serotypes, and twitching motilities.
  • All SR colonies demonstrated significantly elevated biofilm formation compared to WT colonies.
  • SR variants were found in 3.1% of P. aeruginosa-positive inpatients and 0.6% of isolated strains.
  • Clonal similarity was observed between SR and WT pairs from the same patients, suggesting spontaneous in-host emergence.

Conclusions:

  • P. aeruginosa can spontaneously generate highly adherent SR variants in hospitalized patients.
  • The enhanced biofilm formation of SR variants may play a role in persistent or recurrent infections.
  • The clonal relatedness and presence in different sample types suggest SR variants may spread within healthcare settings.

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