title: Comparison of virulence properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exposed to water and grown in rich broth.
abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that can infect susceptible patients suffering from cystic fibrosis, immunosuppression, and severe burns. Nosocomial- and community-acquired infection is likely due to contact with water sources contaminated with P. aeruginosa. Most of what is known about the virulence properties of P. aeruginosa was derived from studies using fairly rich broths, which do not represent conditions found in water, such as low nutrient concentrations. Here, we compare biofilm production, invasion of epithelial cells, cytotoxicity, and pyocyanin production of P. aeruginosa in water with P. aeruginosa grown in rich broth. Since tap water is variable, we used a defined water medium, Fraquil, to ensure reproducibility of the results. We found that P. aeruginosa does not readily form biofilm in Fraquil. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is equally able to attach to and invade epithelial cells but is more cytotoxic after incubation in water for 30 days than when it is grown in rich broth. Moreover, P. aeruginosa produces less pyocyanin when exposed to water. Our results show that P. aeruginosa seems to have different properties when exposed to water than when grown in rich broth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21 111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada.
authors.forename: Nilmini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mendis
authors.forename: Ying Ran
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Sebastien P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Faucher
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D003470:Culture Media; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung; D050296:Microbial Viability; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011710:Pyocyanine / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D011710:Pyocyanine
keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; cytotoxicity; cytotoxicité; famine; invasion; pyocyanin; starvation