Genetic analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by pulsed field gel electrophoresis.

We identified the serotypes and genomes patterns of 100 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) that had been isolated from patients who were admitted to the hospital of the Fukui Medical School between 1992 and 1995. A monoclonal diagnostic kit was used to identify the serotypes. Genome patterns were determined by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Serotypes A, B, C, D, E, F, G and I exhibited distinct genome patterns. Differences in genome patterns were also observed in strains of serotypes E and G, depending on the types of clinical samples collected and/or the area of the hospital from which they were isolated. Many of the multiple antibiotic-resistant strains of P. aeruginosa exhibited serotype E. The genome pattern differed between strains that were susceptible vs. resistant to multiple antibiotics. The latter strains exhibited similar genome patterns regardless of their origin. These findings suggest that analysis of genome patterns is important for identifying the origin of nosocomial infection caused by P. aeruginosa, serotype E.