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Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a cause of infectious diarrhoea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 1998

P. A. ADLARD
Affiliation:
Division of Pathology, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Australia
S. M. KIROV
Affiliation:
Division of Pathology, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Australia
K. SANDERSON
Affiliation:
Division of Pathology, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Australia
G. E. COX
Affiliation:
Pathology Department, Launceston General Hospital, Launceston, Tasmania 7250, Australia
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Abstract

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Pseudomonas aeruginosa is not generally considered a cause of infectious diarrhoea. However, it was the predominant organism isolated from the faeces of 23 unrelated, hospital outpatients investigated in the course of a year for persistent (>1 week duration) diarrhoea. To investigate the possible aetiological role of P. aeruginosa, these patient histories were reviewed and a selection of their faecal isolates were investigated in vitro (n[ges ]10) and in vivo (n=2) for virulence. The patients had a mean age of 60 years, were receiving antibiotics and/or had an underlying illness. Extensive microbiological investigations identified no other potential or recognized enteropathogen in the faeces of 20 of these patients. More than 40% of the isolates tested were able to adhere to HEp-2 cells and exhibited twitching motility (type IV pili), properties indicative of their ability to colonize the human intestine. Cytotoxic activity was demonstrated in bacterium-free cell supernatants of over 80% of isolates; supernatants of four isolates tested in infant mice were weakly enterotoxigenic. Two isolates intragastrically inoculated into clindamycin pre-treated rats established persistent infections and induced signs and symptoms of enteritis. Overall these findings suggest that P. aeruginosa can cause diarrhoea particularly in immunodeficient individuals.

Type
Short Paper
Copyright
© 1998 Cambridge University Press