Multilocus Sequence Typing Characterization of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common Gram-negative opportunistic bacterium that causes acute and chronic infections in humans, especially the immunocompromised ones and in hospitalized patients. Its exceptional adaptability coupled with inherent resistance to various antibiotics as well as its capacity to develop other determinants of resistance has placed it among the main global concerns in public health. Pathogenic success of P. aeruginosa is explained by a combination of virulence factors, such as outer membrane proteins, lipopolysaccharides, biofilm formation, secretion systems, toxins, lytic enzymes, siderophores, antioxidant enzymes, and quorum-sensing networks all of which contribute to the increase of colonization, immune evasion and tissue damage. Molecular typing procedures have been of paramount importance in attempting to explain the epidemiology and population structure of this pathogen. Of these, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) has become one of the standardized, reproducible, and globally comparable methods, which rely on the study of shared housekeeping genes. This review summarizes the existing information about virulence determinants and pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa and critically analyzes the advantages and drawbacks of MLST and the corresponding genomic typing methods. Dynamics between virulence, resistance, and population structure must provide a better understanding of the contribution to enhancing surveillance, treatment regimens, and transmission among patient of high-risk P. aeruginosa clones in healthcare settings.