Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a gram-negative rod that grows in aerobic conditions. It is a multidrug resistant pathogen associated with hospital acquired infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, sepsis, and urinary tract infections. This bacterium is considered an opportunistic organism because it can cause very serious infections in those with preexisting conditions- most notably cystic fibrosis and immunocompromised patients. When P. aeruginosa colonizes critical body organisms such as the lungs, kidneys and urinary tract, the infection can be fatal without antibiotic intervention. It is very important to administer treatment based off laboratory sensitivities. A sample should be collected from the infection site, cultured, identified, and tested against many different antibiotic classes for sensitivity.
P. aeruginosa is a citrate, catalase, and oxidase positive organism. P. aeruginosa produces indophenol oxidase, which renders a positive oxidase test result- distinguishing P. aeruginosa from other gram-negative rods. On sheep blood agar, P. aeruginosa has a metallic, blue-green look, caused by the pigments pyocyanin and pyoverdin. It also produces a grape or aged wine odor. It can be found in soil, water, skin flora, and man-made environments.
Solaris Diagnostics Laboratory uses BD PHOENIX Automated identification and susceptibility testing system to provide rapid, accurate, and reliable bacterial detection of known and emerging antimicrobial resistance to the clinicians and laboratories.