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Effect of mucoid property on antibiotic susceptibility ofPseudomonas aeruginosa

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Abstract

Clinical isolates ofPseudomonas aeruginosa from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) were examined for susceptibility to the antibiotics carbenicillin, ticarcillin, tobramycin, gentamicin, and tetracycline. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of the antibiotics were determined for mucoid and nonmucoid isolates from the same patient by a single-colony replica plating method. This method allows the rapid determination of antibiotic susceptibility of a single cell’s progeny and the individual screening of each colony against all antibiotics. Twenty of 34 (58%) cystic fibrosis patients had a mucoid isolate which was more susceptible to antibiotics than their nonmucoid isolate of the same serotype. Nonmucoid revertant segregants of mucoid strains isolated from 50% of the patients demonstrated greater resistance to at least one antibiotic than the original mucoid strain. Multiple isolates from 25 patients were serotyped by Difco (Liu) or Homma antiserum; only 2 patients harbored multiple strains with no common serotyping antigens. Serotypes of the nonmucoid revertants were the same as the original mucoid isolate even if the susceptibilities of the two strains were not similar.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital, 44106, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    C. A. Demko & M. J. Thomassen

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  1. C. A. Demko
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  2. M. J. Thomassen
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Demko, C.A., Thomassen, M.J. Effect of mucoid property on antibiotic susceptibility ofPseudomonas aeruginosa . Current Microbiology 4, 69–73 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02602895

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