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Recovery of Pseudomonas cepacia and other Pseudomonas species from the environment

J E Mortensen1, M C Fisher, J J LiPuma

  • 1Department of Laboratories, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA 19134.

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
|January 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

Pseudomonas cepacia, a bacterium linked to cystic fibrosis, was infrequently found in patient homes and environmental sources like salad bars. Further research is needed to understand its transmission to individuals with cystic fibrosis.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental microbiology
  • Clinical microbiology
  • Bacterial pathogenesis

Background:

  • Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder.
  • Pseudomonas cepacia is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause severe lung infections in CF patients.
  • Understanding the environmental reservoirs of P. cepacia is crucial for infection control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of Pseudomonas cepacia in homes of CF patients and various environmental settings.
  • To compare the occurrence of P. cepacia with other related pseudomonads in the environment.

Main Methods:

  • Collected 916 cultures from CF patient homes, control homes, salad bars, and food markets.
  • Analyzed cultures for the presence of P. cepacia and related bacteria using microbiological techniques.

Main Results:

  • P. cepacia was recovered from 18% of CF patient homes (5/27).
  • P. cepacia was found in 4% of environmental cultures (20/509).
  • P. cepacia was infrequently recovered compared to other pseudomonads.

Conclusions:

  • Environmental sources, including homes and food establishments, harbor P. cepacia, but infrequently.
  • The contribution of these environmental sources to P. cepacia acquisition in CF patients remains unclear.
  • Further studies are warranted to elucidate transmission routes of P. cepacia to CF individuals.

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