Pseudomonas aeruginosa serogroup 11 and pool-associated skin rash

The isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, serogroup 11, from the skin lesions of bathers and from public whirlpools during outbreaks of pool-associated rash illness raises the question of whether the association is an etiologic one and if so what accounts for it. We suggest that a particular environmental adaptation of some strains of Pseudomonas and certain virulence factors they possess may enhance their pathogenic potential.