Isolation of a mucoid alginate-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain from the equine guttural pouch.
The isolation and characterization of a mucoid, alginate-producing strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a nonhuman host, namely, in chondroids from an equine guttural pouch, is reported for the first time. Pure cultures of P. aeruginosa 12534 were isolated from a 17-month-old pony mare with a history of chronic bilateral mucopurulent nasal discharge from the right guttural pouch. Transmission electron microscopy of chondroids showed mucoid P. aeruginosa growing as microcolonies within a matrix of extracellular material. On the basis of expression of the mucoid phenotype under different growth conditions, P. aeruginosa 12534 belongs to group 1 and resembles other isolates carrying the muc-23 mutation. The bulk of the extracellular material was characterized as being alginate by chemical and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance analyses, which showed that it had a composition similar to that produced by isolates of P. aeruginosa from human patients with cystic fibrosis.
Govan
J R
JR
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Sarasola
P
P
Taylor
D J
DJ
Tatnell
P J
PJ
Russell
N J
NJ
Gacesa
P
P
D000464:Alginates / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D005064:Eustachian Tube / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D006736:Horses / Q000382:microbiology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism
D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020723:Glucuronic Acid