Pseudomonas

Question 1

Pseudomonas is a gram ______ bacteria.

Answer 1

Negative

[rods, motile]

Question 2

True/False. Pseudomonas is an obligate aerobe.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

True/False. P. aeruginosa is facultative symbiotic and facultative pathogenic.

Answer 3

True

Facultative pathogenic usually secondary infection

Question 4

If most of P. aeruginosa are saprophytic, where would you expect to find it?

Answer 4

Mainly in waters

Also soil and on plants

Question 5

What odor does P. aeruginosa give off in culture?

Answer 5

Candy sweet odor

Question 6

What chemicals are in Mueller-Hinton medium that P. aeurginosa react with?

What does the bacteria look like on this culture?

Answer 6

Pycocyanins (is also an anti-bacterial)

Pyoverdins

Blue-greenish pigmentation on medium, large colonies

Question 7

P. aeruginosa is oxidase ______.

Answer 7

Postive

Question 8

Does P. aeruginosa react well to antibotic treatment?

Answer 8

No. It has a high natural resistance.

[can adapt to humid hospital envrionments - trach tubes, endoscopes]

Question 9

What are the important virulence factors of pseudomonas?

Answer 9

Affinity for adhesion to mucoid surfaces

Biofilm (slime) - makes them more resistant to disinfectants

Question 10

What kind of animals does pseudomonas as a genus typically infect? Warm or cold blooded?

Answer 10

Cold blooded animals - have mucus on their skin

[P. aeruginosa for mammals and birds]

Question 11

What are the 3 predisposing factors for Pseudomonas infection?

Answer 11

High infection pressure (drinking water, environment)

Humidity

Reduced immunity (local and general)

Question 12

What is the main infection you will with see P. aeruginosa in cats and dogs?

Answer 12

Otitis externa

[primary pathogens for otits externa: Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Malassezia pachydermatis—plus pseudomonas get a treatment that covers gram + and - and fungus]

Question 13

What secondary infections does P. aeruginosa cause in dogs and cats?

Answer 13

Skin infections: pyoderma

Cystitis (bladder inflammation)

Eye infections

Question 14

You have a hamster, guinea pig, chinchilla, and mink farm. All of a sudden they all get pneumonia and specticemia and then they die. What killed them? How were they infected?

Answer 14

P. aeruginosa

Infected through drinking water

Question 15

The rabbits in your rabbitry become infected with P. aeruginosa :(

What type of infection do you expect to see? Why is it hard to rid your rabbitry of pseudomonas?

Answer 15

Moist dermatitis - skin infection

Pseudomonas forms biofilms and is resistant to disinfectants

[sometimes rabbits will get pneumonia]

Question 16

What secondary infections do you expect to see in a horse infected with P. aeruginosa?

Answer 16

Metritis-vaginitis - secondary to prolonged antimicrobial treatment

Keratitis conjunctivitis - following topical treatment with steroids

Question 17

You have a farm. Your cows, sheep and goats all contract mastitis :( Also the beautiful fleece that your sheep grew this winter begins to rot. What bacteria is responsible?

Answer 17

P. aeruginosa

Question 18

What conditions do you expect to see in reptiles kept in poor housing, infected with P. aeruginosa?

Answer 18

Necrotic stomatitis

Pneumonia

Septicemia

Question 19

What is the rare skin infection caused in several animal species by P. aeruginosa (along with other bacteria) that resembles a fungal infection?

Answer 19

Botryomycosis

Question 20

How do psittaciformes (parrots and parakeets) contract a secondary infection of P. aeruingosa?

Answer 20

Mainly through contaminated drinking water

[conjunctivitis, rhinitis pneumonia, air sacculitis, enteritis]

Question 21

How do Galliformes (turkeys) become infected?

Answer 21

Origin is typically drinking water

In the oviduct of turkeys - contamination of eggs (exploding eggs!!)

Question 22

What therapy is being experimented with because Pseudomonas is so resistant?

Answer 22

Phage therapy

[strain specific]