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Copper Uptake by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Infected Burn Patients

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Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from infected burn patients and characterized by standard biochemical tests. The in vitro copper uptake was compared between this isolated pathogenic strain and two non-pathogenic control strains of Gram positive bacteria Bacillusthuringiensis strain Israelis as well as Gram negative bacteria Enterobacter aerogenes. Maximum copper uptake of 470 ppm/g biomass was obtained by P. aeruginosa strain, while the control strains B. thuringiensis and Enterobacter aerogenes had copper uptake of 350 and 383 ppm/g biomass, respectively. However, the lowest copper uptake (60 ppm/g biomass) was observed with another control the saprophytic strain Pseudomonas (Shewanella) putrefaciens. A further investigation regarding the effect of copper toxicity on bacterial growth, gave an MIC score of 600 ppm for P. aeruginosa strain compared to 460 and 300 ppm for the two Gram positive and Gram negative control strains, respectively. In tandem with these in vitro findings, blood analysis on burn patients infected with P. aeruginosa has indicated a selective decrease of copper (hypocupremia) and ceruloplasmin plasma levels. The iron metabolism was also affected by this copper deprivation leading to a similar decrease in plasma levels of PCV, iron, total iron binding capacity, and transferrin. All these hematological changes were significantly different (P < 0.05) from the matched group of non-infected burn patients. The observed hypocupremia in infected burn patients was attributed to demanding scavenger ability by P. aeruginosa strain for the copper of plasma.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Mutah University, Karak, Jordan

    Muayad M. Abboud

  2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mutah University, Karak, Jordan

    Khaled A. Tarawneh, Khaled M. Khleifat & Amjad Al Tarawneh

  3. College of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan

    Humodi A. Saeed

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  1. Muayad M. Abboud
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  2. Humodi A. Saeed
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  3. Khaled A. Tarawneh
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  4. Khaled M. Khleifat
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  5. Amjad Al Tarawneh
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Correspondence to Muayad M. Abboud.

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Abboud, M.M., Saeed, H.A., Tarawneh, K.A. et al. Copper Uptake by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Infected Burn Patients. Curr Microbiol 59, 282–287 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-009-9431-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-009-9431-x

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