Pseudomonas aeruginosa: The Alarming Pathogen of Hospital Acquired Infection

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacillus that is ubiquitous. It is found in abundant amount in the environment, especially in moist places. Immunocompetent persons get less infected by P. aeruginosa, while immunocompromised patients get more infected by them. The burn patients, patients with cystic fibrosis, and patients who are dependent on any device like ventilator, intravenous catheter, or indwelling bladder catheter are more prone to acquire the infection. It is the main cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Patients with neutropenia are more susceptible to P. aeruginosa infections. P. aeruginosa has got several virulence factors through which they can cause disease. They have got attachment factors like Pilli and enzymes. They are one of the main pathogens of healthcare-associated infection (HAI). As P. aeruginosa is multidrug-resistant so this has got an extra contribution to the fact that they can cause HAI more. Common antibiotics like penicillin, carbapenems, cephalosporins, and all other Beta-lactam drugs along with aztreonams and fluroquinolones are resistant to P. aeruginosa. The proper maintenance of hand hygiene and continuous monitoring of hospital devices can lessen the burden of HAI associated with P. aeruginosa infection.

Hospital Acquired Infection Revisited: Route of Transmission

“…Several bacterial pathogens are difficult to overcome, while it has been related with HAI infections. With the most prevalent HAIs episodes being caused by Acinetobacter baumannii [71], a group of Gram-negative nonfermenting betaproteobacteria called Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) [72], Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a gram-negative bacillus that is ubiquitous and abundant in the environment, especially in moist condition [73], Clostridium difficile that can cause severe diarrhea [74], extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli [75], Carbapenemase-producing carbapenemresistant Enterobacterales (CP-CRE) [76], vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) that commonly reported causing the outbreak in surgical ICU ward [77], methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) [78], vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA) [79], and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) [79,80] with their increasing prevalence (both VISA and VRSA infections) is truly a cause of global concern. Finally Mycobacterium tuberculosis, [81] a causative agent responsible for numerous outbreaks of nosocomial tuberculosis due to its multidrugresistant strains.…”

Antimicrobial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: navigating clinical impacts, current resistance trends, and innovations in breaking therapies

“…Catheter-associated UTIs by P. aeruginosa are of substantial clinical consequence due to their association with pyelonephritis, prolonged morbidity, and mortality. P. aeruginosa contributes to approximately 10% of catheterassociated UTIs (CAUTI) and up to 16% of UTIs in ICU patients, with an alarming increase in nosocomial-acquired infections (Rosenthal et al, 2016;Farzin et al, 2023). The bacterium's ability to exploit catheters as a tool for host entry underscores its clinical significance in UTIs.…”

Isolation of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Studying their Resistance and Pyocyanin Production.

“…This bacterium has different resistance mechanisms, the most important of which are changing the target location, changing the permeability of the outer membrane, and producing enzymes that destroy antibiotics, such as β -lactamases, which make it resistant to Penicillins and Cephalosporins. The spread of this bacterium in different parts of the body, and its continuous exposure to antibiotics led to emergence of new strains, which are characterized by multi-drug resistance [11] [12]. Therefore, the current study aimed to isolate Pseudomonas Aeruginosa from several clinical sources, study the resistance of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa to some antibiotics, identify isolates with multi-drug resistance, determine the number of pyocyanin-producing isolates and determine the effect of the pigment on the growth of pathogenic bacteria species.…”