Research on pseudomonas aeruginosa organism Essay

Based on the laboratory tests provided, it can be determined that the unknown organism can be identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). This organism is an opportunistic pathogen that can infect non-mammalian, plants, and humans. P. aeruginosa belongs to the bacterial family Pseudomonadaceae, and is a gram-negative rod that approximately measures 0.5 to 0.8 mum by 1.5 to 3.0 mum. It can normally be found in water and soil. Its single polar flagellum makes it motile, and it is known to be one of the fastest swimming bacteria found in hay infusion and pond water (Crittenden, Trussell, Hand, and Howe 2012).
Due the extensive size of the genome, 6.3 million base pairs, P. aeruginosa is capable of adapting to a wide variety of environments (Descamps, Sallenave, and Manoury 2012). As a free-swimming cell, it can live as a sessile biofilm as well as in planktonic form (Crittenden et al. 2012). It has minimal nutritional needs and does not require organic growth factors, but for growth, it can use more than thirty organic compounds. The optimal growth temperature for this organism is thirty-seven degrees. However, it is capable of growth with temperatures as high as forty-two degrees And as indicated by the laboratory results, this organism is able to grow even if O2 is not present, as long as NO3 is available.
The organism's capacity to adapt to a wide variety of environments is a threat to non-mammalian, plants, and humans. A common nosocomial pathogen that poses a threat to immune-compromised patients in the hospital. It is associated with respiratory tract, urinary tract, and wound infections in the hospital. Its outer membrane, composed of lipopolysaccharide, provides the organism with low permeability and with its high tolerance to various physical conditions and resistance to antibiotics it makes is difficult to treat infections.
In humans, P. aeruginosa is a serious threat to immune-compromised patients. It accounts for 35-40% of urinary tract infections in the hospital (Black 2012). In respiratory infections, such as pneumonia it causes hemorrhages and damages the respiratory airways that can be fatal as it causes an inflammatory response (Descamps et al. 2012). This pathogen is known to be the leading cause of respiratory infection in the world (Descamps et al. 2012), which can be ventilator-associated or hospital-acquired pneumonia. In chronic pneumonia, such as in cystic fibrosis, P. aeruginosa is the most frequent cause of mortality (Descamps et al. 2012). The inability to clear trapped bacteria in the mucous promotes microbial colonization and damages the lungs causing poor pulmonary function.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is also known to be a common causative agent of wound infections. These wound infections are more common in people with weaker immune systems, such as those with diabetes mellitus, as it causes wounds to heal at a slower rate which makes them prone to infections. P. aeruginosa wound infections occur most often in the hospital from surgical wound treatment and are known to be the leading cause of burn infections (Nedeljkovi, Tiodorovi, Koci, Ciri, Milojkovi, and Waisi 2015).