Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Isolated from the Marine Environments in the Istanbul Coastal Area (turkey)

In this study, we used a chromogenic method to show the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in seawater. The culture dependent identification of P. aeruginosa typically takes approximately 2-3 days with conventional methods. More reliable, rapid and cost effective results can also be achieved with PCR based methodologies but only in microbiology laboratories equipped with suitable infrastructure. In this study, the use of CHROMagar, with its chromogenic characteristics, enabled us to detect Pseudomonas species in the seawater; independent of conventional culture techniques. The aim of this study was to establish a phenotypic framework to enable the identification of, and more importantly, the tracking of P. aeruginosa in seawater samples. By combining both the CHROMagar and PCR methods, a practical, costeffective and reliable method was developed which allowed for the identification and quantification of P.aeruginosa within a reduced timeframe of just two days. A total of 126 coastal seawater samples were taken from the Istanbul coastal region between January 2011 and June 2012. The samples were routinely inoculated onto CHROMagar Pseudomonas (PS820) and Pseudomonas Selective Medium. The isolates were initially classified according phenotypic characteristics, and further identified by molecular methods based upon PCR and 16S rRNA sequencing. Using CHROMagar Pseudomonas media together with PCR identification allowed for the detection of the Pseudomonas species both rapidly (2 days) and accurately. Pseudomonas species identification is possible through either molecular or chromogenic analysis; however, the identification of subspecies still requires conventionally serological typing. CHROMagar Pseudomonas will not only aid routine seawater microbiology laboratories to detect Pseudomonas rapidly using only one media, but it will also provide the opportunity to conduct such procedures in a cost-effective and reliable manner.