Pseudomonas aeruginosa. IV. IV. Pyocine typing of strains isolated from the blue fox (Alopex lagopus), mink (Mustela vison), and dog (Canis familiaris) and from their environment.
Investigation of a total of 354 Ps. aeruginosa strains by "active" pyocine typing, using Govan & Gillies' indicator strains (21, 24) by which it may be possible to demonstrate the sources and routes of pseudomonas infection revealed that: (1) of the isolated pyocine-producing types 85.5% could be fitted into Govan & Gillies' classification, (2) 11.1% of all strains tested did not produce pyocine, (3) p3 was the only pyocine type isolated from an enzootic of fatal, haemorrhagic pneumonia in experimental minks debilitated by change of environment and inoculation with plasmacytosis (Aleutian disease), (4) types 1--5, 8, 10, 17, 29, and 37 could be isolated from the blue foxes and their farm environment, and (5) types 1--3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 17, 28, 31, and 37 were identified in hospitalized dogs and their hospital environment. Pyocine type p1 was predominant in all groups except that of experimental minks and samples from the room in which they were kept. This type, plus type p3, made up more than half the typed strains of Ps. aeruginosa. The sources of infection comprised: (1) Carriers among the blue foxes and their winter watering troughs. During periods without frost the troughs were not cleaned, but were left containing more or less water contaminated with urine, faeces, hairs, and dust--a well-suited habitat for Ps. aeruginosa. (2) In the case of the experimental minks the infection may have been derived from a dog with pseudomoniasis in the hospital, brought to the experimental room in the course of feeding and cleaning. (3) The infection in the Small Animal Clinic seems to be maintained by frequent admission of patients for treatment, especially of chronic otitis externa/media caused by widely resistant strains of Ps. aeruginosa.
D000818:Animals; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D002415:Cats / Q000382:microbiology; D004285:Dogs / Q000382:microbiology*; D004777:Environment; D005589:Foxes / Q000382:microbiology*; D008907:Mink / Q000382:microbiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011709:Pyocins / Q000032:analysis
D011709:Pyocins