Mitigating Health Risks Through Environmental Tracking of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Environmental Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common nosocomial pathogen and a reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes.
• This bacterium is prevalent in diverse indoor and outdoor environments, including water, soil, and sewage.
• Current surveillance for P. aeruginosa largely overlooks built environments, despite evidence of its presence and link to hospital settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the prevalence and characteristics of P. aeruginosa in various environments.
• To examine factors contributing to its multidrug resistance and identify detection methods.
• To underscore the importance of environmental monitoring for public health hygiene and infection prevention.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of P. aeruginosa prevalence, sequence types, and resistance mechanisms.
• Analysis of global surveillance data and identification techniques.
• Exploration of advanced detection methods like whole-genome sequencing, qPCR, metagenomics, MALDI-TOF, and biosensors.

Main Results:

• P. aeruginosa is widespread in both natural and built environments, acting as a reservoir for resistance genes.
• Multidrug-resistant strains of human origin are found in built environments, suggesting reverse transmission pathways.
• Various molecular and biochemical techniques are employed for identification and antimicrobial resistance profiling.

Conclusions:

• Environmental monitoring of P. aeruginosa is essential for preventing human infections and enhancing public health.
• Strategic surveillance in built environments is critical for epidemiological control and risk assessment.
• Continued research into advanced detection methods is needed to combat evolving antibiotic resistance.