Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-ws8qp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T09:30:02.365Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Investigation of a pseudo-outbreak of ‘Pseudomonas thomasii’ in a special-care baby unit by numerical analysis of SDS–PAGE protein patterns

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

M. Costas
Affiliation:
National Collection of Type Cultures, Central Public Health Laboratory, London NW9 5HT
B. Holmes
Affiliation:
National Collection of Type Cultures, Central Public Health Laboratory, London NW9 5HT
L. L. Sloss
Affiliation:
National Collection of Type Cultures, Central Public Health Laboratory, London NW9 5HT
S. Heard
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Microbiology, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London EC1A 7BE, England
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Forty-two cultures of pseudomonas comprising 28 clinical isolates from a pseudo-outbreak on a Special-Care Baby Unit and 14 reference strains, including 9 type strains, of various Pseudomonas species, were characterized by one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) of whole-cell proteins. The protein patterns were highly reproducible and were used as the basis for a numerical analysis which divided the strains into 9 phenons. Two of the 28 clinical isolates were identified by biochemical tests as P. pickettii and their identification was confirmed by SDS–PAGE as they fell in the same phenon as the type strain of the species. The remaining 26 isolates, which could not be identified on phenotypic tests, fell in the same phenon as three reference strains of ‘P. thomasii’. The protein patterns provided the first clear evidence that P. pickettii and ‘P. thomasii’ were separate taxa and that the ‘outbreak’ was polymicrobial in origin, in line with the probable aqueous source of contamination. We conclude that high-resolution SDS–PAGE of proteins provides an effective method of identifying and differentiating pseudomonads, especially where this cannot be done adequately using conventional biochemical tests.

Type
Special Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

References

REFERENCES

1.Hernandez, Duquino H, Rosenberg, FA. Antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas in bottled drinking water, Can J Microbiol 1987; 33: 286–9.Google Scholar
2.McNeil, MM, Solomon, SL, Anderson, RL et al. , Nosocomial Pseudomonas pickettii colonization associated with a contaminated respiratory therapy solution in a special care nursery. J Clin Microbiol 1985; 22: 903–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Verschraegen, G, Claeys, G, Meeus, G, Delanghe, M. Pseudomonas pickettii as a cause of pseudobacteremia. J Clin Microbiol 1985; 21: 278–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Phillips, I, Eykyn, S, Laker, M. Outbreak of hospital infection caused by contaminated autoclaved fluids. Lancet 1972; i: 1258–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Baird, RM, Elhag, KM, Shaw, EJ. Pseudomonas thomasii in a hospital distilled-water supply. J Med Microbiol 1976; 9, 493–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Dowsett, E. Hospital infections caused by contaminated fluids. Lancet 1972; i: 1338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.King, A, Holmes, B, Phillips, I, Lapage, SP. A taxonomic study of clinical isolates of Pseudomonas pickettii, ‘P. thomasii’ and ‘group IVd’ bacteria. J Gen Microbiol 1979; 114: 137–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Riley, PS, Weaver, RE. Recognition of Pseudomonas pickettii in the clinical laboratory: Biochemical characterization of 62 strains. J Clin Microbiol 1975; 1: 61–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Pickett, MJ, Greenwood, JR. A study of the Va-1 group of pseudomonads and its relationship to Pseudomonas pickettii. J Gen Microbiol 1980; 120: 439–46.Google ScholarPubMed
10.Garcia, J-L, Pichinoty, F, Mandel, M, Greenway, B. A new denitrifying saprophyte related to Pseudomonas pickettii. Ann Microbiol (Inst Pasteur) 1977; 128A: 229–37.Google ScholarPubMed
11.Jackman, PJH. Bacterial taxonomy based on electrophoretic whole-cell protein patterns. In: Goodfellow, M, Minnikin, DE, eds. Chemical methods in bacterial systematics. London: Academic Press, 1985: 115–29. (Society for Applied Bacteriology Technical Series; No. 20).Google Scholar
12.Kersters, K. Numerical methods in the classification of bacteria by protein electrophoresis. In: Goodfellow, M, Jones, D, Priest, FG, eds. Computer assisted bacterial systematics. London: Academic Press. 1985: 337–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Costas, M, Owen, RJ, Jackman, PJH. Classification of Campylobacter sputorum and allied campylobacters based on numerical analysis of electrophoretic protein patterns. System Appl Microbiol 1987; 9: 125–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Owen, RJ, Morgan, DD, Costas, M, Lastovica, A. Identification of ‘Campylobacter upsaliensis’ and other catalase-negative campylobacters from paediatric blood cultures by numerical analysis of electrophoretic protein patterns. FEMS Microbiol Lett 1989; 58: 145–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Costas, M, Holmes, B, Wood, AC, On, SLW. Numerical analysis of electrophoretic protein patterns of Providencia rettgeri strains from human faeces, urine and other specimens. J Appl Bacteriol 1989; 67: 441–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Holmes, B, Costas, M, Wood, AC. Numerical analysis of electrophoretic protein patterns of Group EF-4 bacteria, predominantly from dog-bite wounds of humans. J Appl Bacteriol 1990; 68: 8191.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Heard, S, Lawrence, S, Holmes, B, Costas, M. A pseudo-outbreak of Pseudomonas on a special care baby unit. J Hosp Infect 1990. In press.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Palleroni, NJ. Genus 1. Pseudomonas Migula 1894, 237 (Nom. cons. Opin. 5, Jud. Comm. 1952. 237). In: Krieg, NR, Holt, JG, eds. Bergey's manual of systematic bacteriology, vol. 1. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1984: 141–99.Google Scholar
19.Holmes, B, Pinning, CA, Dawson, CA. A probability matrix for the identification of Gram-negative, aerobic, non-fermentative bacteria that grow on nutrient agar. J Gen Microbiol 1986; 132: 1827–42.Google ScholarPubMed
20.Costas, M, Holmes, B, Sloss, LL. Numerical analysis of electrophoretic protein patterns of Providencia rustigianii strains from human diarrhoea and other sources. J Appl Bacteriol 1987; 63: 319328.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21.Costas, M, Cookson, BD, Talsania, HG, Owen, RJ. Numerical analysis of electrophoretic protein patterns of methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus. J Clin Microbiol 1989; 27: 2574–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Jackman, PJH, Feltham, RKA, Sneath, PHA. A program in BASIC for numerical taxonomy of microorganisms on electrophoretic protein patterns. Microbios Lett 1983; 23: 8793.Google Scholar
23.Sneath, PHA, Johnson, R. The influence on numerical taxonomic similarities of errors in microbiological tests. J Gen Microbiol 1972; 72: 377–91.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed