title: Global Pseudomonas aeruginosa biodiversity as reflected in a Belgian river.
abstract: The biodiversity of the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an aquatic environment (the Woluwe River, Brussels, Belgium) was analysed. Surface water was sampled bimonthly over a 1-year period (2000-2001) at seven sites evenly dispersed over the river. Total bacterial counts were performed and P. aeruginosa strains were isolated on a selective medium. A weighed out sample of 100 randomly chosen presumptive P. aeruginosa isolates was further analysed. A set of data consisting of the nucleotide sequence of the oprL gene, a DNA-based fingerprint (amplified fragment length polymorphism, AFLP), serotype, pyoverdine type and antibiogram (MICs of 21 clinically relevant antibiotics) was assembled. These data were integrated with those previously obtained for 73 P. aeruginosa clinical and environmental isolates collected across the world. The combined results were analysed and compared using biological data analysis software. Our findings indicate a positive relationship between the extent of pollution and the prevalence of P. aeruginosa. Surprisingly, the Woluwe River P. aeruginosa community was almost as diverse as the global P. aeruginosa population. Indeed, the Woluwe River harboured members of nearly all successful clonal complexes. With the exception of one multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain, belonging to a ubiquitous and clinically relevant serotype O11 clone, antibiotic resistance levels were relatively low. These findings illustrate the significance of river water as a reservoir and source of distribution of potentially pathogenic P. aeruginosa strains and could have repercussions on antinosocomial infection strategies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbial Interactions, Department of Molecular and Cellular Interactions, Flanders Interuniversity Institute of Biotechnology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pirnay
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matthijs
authors.forename: Huri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Colak
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chablain
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bilocq
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Eldere
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Vos
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zizi
authors.forename: Ludwig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Triest
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cornelis
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001530:Belgium; D044822:Biodiversity; D003470:Culture Media; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000378:metabolism; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D045483:Rivers / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C031163:ExcC protein, E coli; D008074:Lipoproteins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010457:Peptidoglycan; C042453:pyoverdin