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Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex 2013;70(2):133-144

Research article

Pathogenic characteristics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains

resistant to carbapenems associated with biofilm formation
Sara A. Ochoa,1 Fernanda Lpez-Montiel,1* Gerardo Escalona,1 Ariadnna Cruz-Crdova,1
Leticia B. Dvila,1 Briseida Lpez-Martnez,2 Yolanda Jimnez-Tapia,2 Silvia Giono,3 Carlos Eslava,4
Rigoberto Hernndez-Castro,5 Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes1

Abstract
Background. In recent years the worldwide emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been observed.
This opportunistic pathogen produces mechanisms of resistance to several antibiotics. The resistance to carbapenems in P. aeruginosa
strains has been associated with bacterial biofilm formation favored by the presence of exopolysaccharides (EPS) embedded in an extracellular matrix and to the production of type IV pili (T4P). We undertook this study to assess biofilm formation in clinical strains of P.
aeruginosa resistant to carbapenems isolated at the Hospital Infantil de Mxico Federico Gmez (HIMFG) through quantification of totalreducing EPS and its association with the phenotypic expression of T4P.
Methods. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed using the Kirby-Bauer method in 92 clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa; likewise, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for imipenem (IMP) and meropenem (MEM) using the serial dilution
method in agar plates with a Steers replicator. Production of metallo-b-lactamase (MBL) was determined by the disk diffusion method
and synergism. Biofilm formation was performed in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa resistant to carbapenems through the quantification of crystal violet, total sugar (anthrone), and reducing sugar (DNS), in addition to the phenotypic expression of T4P activity of
twitching motility. The genetic diversity of biofilm-forming strains and producers of reducing sugars was evaluated by pulsed-field gel
electrophoresis (PFGE).
Results. There were 30.4% (28/92) of P. aeruginosa strains of pediatric origin and 50% (46/92) of urine samples that were recovered from
the pediatric surgical ward. The results using the Kirby-Bauer method showed that >50% of P. aeruginosa strains were resistant to 12
different antibiotics. The MIC to carbapenems was 64 mg/mL, with 43.1% (25/58) for MEM and 56.8% (33/58) for IMP. Likewise, MBL production was observed in 43% (25/58) for MEM, 2% (1/58) for IMP, and 12% (7/58) for both. Qualitative and quantitative analysis showed
that 82% (48/58) of P. aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems were high biofilm formers using the crystal violet method. From the
high biofilm forming strains, 46.5% (27/58) showed concentrations of total EPS between 2000 and 6000 mg/mL and 27.5% (16/58) showed
concentrations of reducing EPS between 316 and 1108 mg/mL. In addition, 75% (44/58) of these strains showed phenotypic activity of
twitching motility.
Conclusions. Detection of total sugars, reducing sugars, and the phenomenon of twitching motility are factors that promote the development of biofilms in clinical strains of P. aeruginosa resistant to carbepenems, which are also MBL producers. Our data suggest that these
factors are involved in biofilm formation, which confer bacterium with the ability to survive, persist, and colonize its host.
Key words: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, clinical isolates, antibiotic resistance, biofilm, pili.

1
2
3
4
5

Laboratorio de Bacteriologa Intestinal, Hospital Infantil de Mxico Federico Gmez

Laboratorio Clnico Central, Hospital Infantil de Mxico Federico Gmez
Laboratorio de Bacteriologa Mdica, Departamento de Microbiologa, Instituto Politcnico Nacional
Departamento de Salud Pblica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico
Departamento de Ecologa de Agentes Patgenos, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea Gonzlez
Becario PROBEI

www.medigraphic.org.mx

Mxico, D.F., Mxico

Received for publication: 2-5-13
Accepted for publication: 3-5-13

Vol. 70, March-April 2013

133

Sara A. Ochoa, Fernanda Lpez-Montiel, Gerardo Escalona, Ariadnna Cruz-Crdova, Leticia B. Dvila, Briseida Lpez-Martnez,
Yolanda Jimnez-Tapia, Silvia Giono, Carlos Eslava, Rigoberto Hernndez-Castro, Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes

Introduction
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an aerobic Gram-negative
bacillus considered to be an opportunistic pathogen. It
is a highly versatile microorganism able to tolerate low
oxygen conditions. It can survive with low levels of nutrients and grow in temperatures ranging from 4-42C.1
These characteristics allow it to attach itself and survive
on medical equipment and on other hospital surfaces,
which favors the beginning of infections in immunocompromised patients.1,2 P. aeruginosa can cause pneumonias,
urinary tract infections and bacteremias as well as causing
high morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis due to chronic infections that eventually cause pulmonary damage and respiratory insufficiency. Infections due
to P. aeruginosa are difficult to eradicate because of their
elevated intrinsic resistance as well as their capacity to acquire resistance to different antibiotics.3
P. aeruginosa produces various mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics such as broad-spectrum b-lactamases,
metallo-b-lactamases (MBL), alteration of protein binders
of penicillin (PBP), porin mutations, plasmid enzymatic
modification, DNA-gyrase mutation and active expulsion
pumps.4,5 Carbapenemics (imipenem and meropenem) are
broad-spectrum antibiotics used for the treatment of nosocomial infections caused by P. aeruginosa. Specific resistance to carbapenemics is attributed to the lack of porin
permeability (OprD), an increase in the expression of the
active expulsion pumps (MexAB-OprD) and to production of metalloenzymes.5-7
Carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa is associated with
the production of MBL and has the ability to hydrolyze
all b-lactam antibiotics except aztreonam. It is responsible for nosocomial outbreaks in tertiary care centers.6,8-10
Three groups of MBL have been identified: class A (serine
dependent and partially inhibited by clavulanic acid are
inducible and nontransferable), class B (zinc dependent,
inhibited by EDTA, inducible or associated with conjugative plasmids) and class C (oxacillinase).6,7
Resistance to various antibiotics and substances with
antimicrobial activity has been associated with bacterial
biofilm formation and phagocytosis by components of the
adaptive immune system11 as well as various nosocomial
infections caused by P. aeruginosa. Biofilms are embedded in an extracellular matrix consisting of an outer membrane protein, pili, exopolysaccharide (EPS) and nucleic

acids.12 The components of the EPS involved in the formation of P. aeruginosa biofilm are encoded mainly by
different genes located in three independent operons:
algU, psl, and pel.12,13
Type IV pili (T4P) produced by P. aeruginosa have an
independent movement of the flagellum through a solid
surface due to the action of contraction and relaxation and
referred to as twitching motility. These have been associated with biofilm formation, an essential event in host colonization.14-16 These filamentous structures located at one
pole of the bacteria are involved in various mechanisms
such as adherence to human cells, formation of microcolonies, bacterial aggregation, phage receptor, evasion of the
immune response and cellular signaling.16-18
Globally, in recent decades the emergence of P. aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems commonly used in
the treatment of infections associated with this pathogen
has been observed.9 The aim of this study was to evaluate
biofilm formation in clinical strains of P. aeruginosa resistant to carbapenems isolated at the Hospital Infantil de
Mxico Federico Gmez (HIMFG) through quantification
of total and reductor exopolysaccharides (EPS) and their
association with the phenotypic expression of the T4P.
Materials and methods
Bacterial strains
A total of 92 strains of P. aeruginosa were selected and
isolated from clinical samples of pediatric patients at
the HIMFG from February 2008 to January 2009. Phenotypic identification of these strains was performed at
the Central Clinical Laboratory using the Vitek automated system (bioMrieux, France) and by conventional
biochemical tests at the HIMFG Intestinal Bacteriology Laboratory. Biochemical identification was based
on the production of catalase, oxidase, the presence of
pigments (pyocyanin and pyoverdin), sodium citrate
growth, growth at 42C, nitrate reduction and arginine
hydrolysis. Strains were grown on BHI agar (Brain Heart
Infusion) (Becton Dickinson, France) and stored in skim
milk at -70C.

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134

Antibiotic susceptibility testing

Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed using the
Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion method according to the 2012
CLSI (Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute). Five coloBol Med Hosp Infant Mex

Pathogenic characteristics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems associated with biofilm formation

nies of each strain were grown in Mueller Hinton (MH)

broth (Oxoid, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England) at 37C
with constant stirring for 2-5 h until reaching an optical
density equivalent to 0.5 on the McFarland scale (NMF).
A massive seeding was done from the bacterial suspension
on MH agar plates using a sterile swab. Discs with the antibiotics were immediately placed on the inoculated plates
and incubated at 37C for 24 h.
For susceptibility testing a total of 12 antibiotics were
assessed: piperacillin-tazobactan (100/10 ug), ticarcillinclavulanate (75/10 mg), cefotaxime (30 mg), ceftazidime
(30 mg), ceftriaxone (30 mg), cefepime (30 mg), aztreonam (30 mg), gentamicin (10 mg), ciprofloxacin (5 mg),
levofloxacin (5 mg), meropenem (10 mg) and imipenem
(10 g) (Oxoid). Inhibition zones were determined and
compared with the reference tables according to the CLSI2012. The sensitivity or resistance for each strain was reported based on the criteria established by the CLSI-2012.
Escherichia coli strains ATCC 25922 and P. aeruginosa
ATCC 27853 (American Type Culture Collection) were
used as quality controls.

In the test of synergism, disks of IMP and MEM were

placed at a distance of 1.5 cm with respect to a second
blank disk impregnated with 10 ml of EDTA 0.5 M and
incubated at 37C for 24 h. An increase in the inhibition
zone toward the EDTA disk was considered to be a positive test. P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 was used as a negative control and a clinical strain producer of MBL (IMP
and MEM) as positive control.10

Determination of the MIC for carbapenems

Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined
for P. aeruginosa strains resistant to imipenem (IMP) and
meropenem (MEM) by the serial dilution method on MH
agar plates using a Steers replicator in accordance with the
CLSI 2012. Serial dilutions in triplicate of the antibiotics
were used (IMP and MEM) at a range of 0.031512 mg/
ml. A bacterial suspension adjusted to a concentration of
1.5 x 108 bacteria/ml was placed in Steers replicated wells
in MH agar plates with antibiotic dilutions.

Biofilm formation in clinical strains of P. aeruginosa

Qualitative and quantitative analyzes of the biofilms produced were performed of clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa according to the protocol described by Xicohtencatl-Cortes et al.14 Clinical strains of P. aeruginosa were
incubated for growth in trypticase-soy broth (TSB) at
37C for 24 h. For biofilm formation, 24-well plates containing 1 ml of TSB were inoculated with 50 ml (1.5 x 108
bacteria/ml) of a bacterial suspension of each of the P.
aeruginosa strains and incubated at 37C for 24 h. Biofilms were washed with phosphate buffer solution (PBS)
(pH 7.4) and fixed with 2% formalin at 4C overnight.
Subsequently, the fixative solution was removed with
PBS and the films were stained with 1 ml of 1% crystal
violet for 15 min. Excess crystal violet was removed and
1 ml of methanol at 70% was added for quantification of
the biofilm to an optical density of 600 nm (OD600nm).
Likewise, biofilms contained in glass coverslips 12 mm
in diameter were mounted on slides and viewed with a
light microscope at 100X. Assays were performed in
triplicate at three different times. P. aeruginosa ATCC
27853 and E. coli K-12 HB101 were used as positive and
negative controls, respectively.

Identification of strains of P. aeruginosa

producers of metallo--lactamases
Disk-diffusion and synergism techniques were used to
evaluate the presence of MBL. Two disks of IMP (10 mg)
and two of MEM (10 mg) were used; one disk with each
antibiotic was impregnated with 10 ml of EDTA (0.5 M).
As a reagent control a disk with EDTA and without antibiotic were used. The disks were placed on a MH agar
plate containing a strain of a bacterial suspension adjusted
to a concentration of 1.5 x 108 bacteria/ml. P. aeruginosa strains with halos of 7 mm in diameter of difference
between the disks of IMP + EDTA and IMP-EDTA were
considered as MBL producers.10

Determination of total carbohydrates

in P. aeruginosa Biofilms
Production of total carbohydrates in biofilms of clinical
strains of P. aeruginosa resistant to carbapenems was determined. These were carried out in triplicate in 24-well
plates as previously described. A 0.5 ml bacterial suspension of biofilms of each clinical strain of P. aeruginosa
was resuspended in 1.5 ml of cold anthrone solution at
2% sulfuric acid. The reaction mixture was incubated at
the boiling point for 10 min and read with a spectrophotometer at 600 nm. To determine the concentration of total
sugars, data obtained were extrapolated into a previously
standardized glucose curve of 0-10,000 mg/ml.19

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Sara A. Ochoa, Fernanda Lpez-Montiel, Gerardo Escalona, Ariadnna Cruz-Crdova, Leticia B. Dvila, Briseida Lpez-Martnez,
Yolanda Jimnez-Tapia, Silvia Giono, Carlos Eslava, Rigoberto Hernndez-Castro, Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes

Determination of reducing carbohydrates

in P. aeruginosa biofilm
Reducing carbohydrates were determined in clinical
strains of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa using the
DNS method (3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid). Assays were
performed in triplicate. The reaction mixture was prepared with 5 g of DNS and 150 g of double sodium-potassium tartrate dissolved in 250 ml of distilled hot water. Subsequently, 100 ml of 2N sodium hydroxide was
added and gauged to a volume of 500 ml with distilled
water. A 1.5-ml suspension of the biofilms formed by
clinical strains was mixed with 2 ml of NaOH 2N and
incubated in a water bath for 15 min to obtain alkaline
lysis. An aliquot of 0.5 ml of the lysis was subsequently
mixed with 0.5 ml of DNS solution. The mixture was
incubated for 10 min in a water bath and read with a
spectrophotometer at 600 nm. The results were extrapolated into a previously standardized glucose curve of
0-2000 mg/ml.19
Trials of twitching motility in the formation
of biofilms
The procedure to determine the phenomenon of twitching motility in clinical isolates of carbapenem-resistant P.
aeruginosa was performed according to the protocol described by Xicohtencatl-Cortes et al.14 Previously, strains
were grown in TSA agar at 37C for 24 h. A colony of each
strain was vertically inoculated into each well of PPLO
media (pleuropneumonia-like organism broth) in 1% bacteriological agar. The plates were incubated at 37C for
24 h and the halos observed were measured to indicate
the production of twitching motility. P. aeruginosa strains
ATCC 27853 and E. coli K-12 HB101 were used as the
positive and negative controls, respectively.
Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE)
To determine the profiles of PFGE, 16 clinical strains of P.
aeruginosa resistant to carbapenems with a high production of reducing EPS associated with their ability to produce biofilms were selected. DNA extraction was done in
agarose blocks according to the protocol described by Morales-Espinosa et al.20 Then, 150 ml of a bacterial suspension was mixed with 150 ml of low point fusion agarose at
1.8%. The fusion block generated was incubated with 1.5
ml of an EC lysis solution [Tris-HCl 1 M (pH 8.0), NaCl 1
M, EDTA 0.5 M (pH 8.0), sodium deoxycholate 0.5%, N-

lauryl sarcosine 12.5%, RNAase 5 mg/ml and lysozyme

10 mg/ml] at 37C for 24 h.
The blocks were then incubated in an EPS solution
[Tris HCl 10 mM (pH 7.4), EDTA 1 mM, N-lauryl-sarcosine 0.25% and proteinase K 0.1 mg/ml]. Finally, the
blocks were washed seven times with a cold TE solution [Tris-HCl 10 mM (pH 8.0), EDTA 1 mM (pH 8.0)]
and were kept in the same solution at 4C. The blocks
were treated with 3 ml restriction Spel enzyme (30 U)
and were incubated at 37C overnight.20 Digestion
fragments were separated by CHEF Mapper (Bio-Rad)
using 1% agarose gel stained with 1.0 mg/ml ethidium
bromide. The runs were carried out with 0.5% TBE
(Tris-borate-EDTA) at 10C and 2- to 50-sec pulses for
20 h at 6 V/cm.20 Obtained fragment sizes were estimated using a molecular weight Lambda Ladder PFGE
marker (Biolabs). Analysis of the PFGE patterns was
performed using the NTSYS-pc program (Numerical
Taxonomy and Multivariate Analysis System, v.2.0).
To express similarity among strains using the dendrogram, we estimated the Jaccard similarity coefficient
and clustering by the UPGMA method (Unweighted
Pair-Group Method Using Arithmetic Average). PFGE
patterns generated were interpreted based on the guidelines of Tenover et al.21
Este documento es elaborado por Medigraphic
Results
P. aeruginosa is found widely distributed in the environment and is considered an opportunistic pathogen. It is
mainly characterized for colonizing immunocompromized
patients. In this study we selected 92 clinical P. aeruginosa
strains isolated from HIMFG pediatric patients from February 2008 to January 2009. Using the Vitek system (bioMrieux) and conventional biochemical tests, P. aeruginosa
strains isolated from the pediatric patients in different departments were identified: 30.4% (28/92) from the operating room, 16.3% (15/92) from the pediatric intensive care
unit, 10.8% (10/92) from the pediatric ward, 9.7% (9/92)
emergency department, 7.6% (7/92) surgery, 7.6% (7/92)
from nephrology, 4.3% (4/92) from oncology, 3.3% (3/92)
surgical therapy, 3.3% (3/92) from neurosurgery, 3.3%
(3/92) intermediate care and 3.3% (3/92) from the neonatal intensive care unit (Figure 1A). Likewise, P. aeruginosa
strains were recovered from different clinical samples: 50%
(46/92) from urine, 31.5% (29/92) venous blood, 6.5%

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136

Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex

Pathogenic characteristics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems associated with biofilm formation

A 35

30

30.4

25
20

16.3

15
10

10.8 9.7
7.6 7.6
4.3

% of clinical strains of P. aeruginosa

Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the biofilms

in clinical P. aeruginosa strains were carried out only for
the 58 strains resistant to carbapenems; 82.7% (48/58) of
clinical P. aeruginosa strains showed absorbance values
8.8-212 de OD600nm. These were considered as high biofilm formers (Table 1). Furthermore, 15.5% (9/58) of the
biofilms with absorbance values of 4.4-8.7 de OD600nm
were considered as average biofilm formers and 1.7%
(1/58) with absorbance values 1.0-4.3 de OD600nm were
considered as low biofilm producers (Table 1).
It was of interest that 55% (32/58) of the high biofilm
formers of P. aeruginosa strains were mainly isolated from
urine samples: 10.3% (6/58) from probes, 6.8% (4/58)
from blood, 3.4% (2/58) from catheters, 3.4% (2/58) from
bronchial aspirate and 3.4% (2/58) from surgical wound
sites (Figure 3A). One low biofilm former strain (1/58)
was identified in blood. Average biofilm forming strains
were found in different percentages: 8.6% (5/58) in urine
samples, 1.7% (1/58) in blood, 3.4% (2/58) in catheters
and 1.7% (1/58) in bronchial aspirate (Figure 3A). Qualitative analysis of low, medium and high clinical P. aeruginosa strains showed different levels of biofilm formation
when observed by light microscopy at 100X (Figure 3B).
Laboratory strain K-12 HB101, a non-biofilm producer,
was used as a negative control (data not shown).
The results obtained from the quantification of the total
EPS of the biofilms with the anthrone method was extrapolated into a standard glucose curve of 0-10,000 mg/ml with
a previously standardized linear correlation coefficient (r =

% of clinical strains of P. aeruginosa

(6/92) catheter, 3.2% (3/92) from bronchial aspirate and

2.1% (2/92) from surgical wound culture (Figure 1B).
The results obtained by the Kirby-Bauer method in 92
clinical P. aeruginosa strains showed >50% resistant to 12
antibiotics tested: aztreonam (63%), gentamicin (64.1%),
ciprofloxacin (64.1%), levofloxacin (66.3%), ceftazidime
(64.1%), ceftriaxone (66.1%), cefotaxime (75%), cefepime
(63%), ticarcillin-clavulanic acid (73.9%) and piperacilintazobactam (63%) (Figure 2A); 63% of the strains were
identified as multiresistant because they showed resistance
to at least three different groups of antibiotics (Figure 2A).
Also, there was 63% resistance (58/92) to IMP, 60.8%
(56/92) to MEM and intermediate resistance to 2.17%
MEM. The MIC for MEM and IMP showed that 63%
(58/92) of the clinical isolates for P. aeruginosa were resistant to carbapenems, confirming the results obtained by the
Kirby-Bauer resistance profiles (Figure 2).
MIC observed in clinical P. aeruginosa isolates was
43.1% (25/58) to MEM and 56.8% (33/58) to IMP, with
a concentration of 64 mg/ml of the antibiotic. Additionally, 8.6% (5/58) of the strains showed a MIC 256 mg/
ml to MEM (Figure 2B). Production of MBL in P. aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems P. aeruginosa
with the disk-diffusion method (with and without EDTA)
and synergism with dual disc showed similar results: 43%
(25/58) of the strains were negative for both MBL production, 43% (25/58) were producers of MBL for MEM,
2% (1/58) of MBL for IMP and 12% (7/58) to both MBL
(Figure 2C).

60
50
50
40
31.5
30
20
6.5

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5
0

3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3

S PICU PED UR ST NF ONCO UT NS IT NICU

Area of service

10

6.5
3.2

2.1

Urine

Blood Catheter Tube

Broncho- Surgical
aspirator wound

Sample types

Figure 1. Identification of resistant and sensitive clinical strains of P. aeruginosa in different service areas (A) and types of sample (B). S,
surgery; PICU, pediatric intensive care unit; PED, pediatrics; UR, urgent care, ST, surgical therapy; NF, nephrology; ONCO, oncology, UT,
urgent therapy; NS, neurosurgery; IT, intermediate therapy; NICU, neonatal intensive care unit.

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Sara A. Ochoa, Fernanda Lpez-Montiel, Gerardo Escalona, Ariadnna Cruz-Crdova, Leticia B. Dvila, Briseida Lpez-Martnez,
Yolanda Jimnez-Tapia, Silvia Giono, Carlos Eslava, Rigoberto Hernndez-Castro, Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes

0.9924) (data not shown). According to the analysis of the

biofilms, the clinical P. aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems were classified according to the amount of EPS
detected in three groups: 18.9% (11/58) as low producers
of EPS with a concentration between 40 and 577 mg/ml,
34.4% (20/58), as average producers of EPS with a concentration between 578 and 2000 mg/ml and 46.5% (27/58) as
high producers of EPS with a concentration between 2001
and 6000 mg/ml (Table 1). Furthermore, quantification of
the reducing sugars was determined by the DNS method using a glucose curve from 0-2000 mg/ml with linear correlation coefficient (r = 0.9631); 27.5% (16/58) of the biofilms
were considered as high producers of EPS reducers with

Resistant

100

values from 316-1108 g/ml; 27.5% (16/58) as average

producers of EPS reducers with values from 207-315 mg/
ml; and 44.8% (26/58) low producers of EPS reducers with
values from 83-206 mg/ml (Table 1).
The formation of twitching motility was determined
in 58 clinical strains of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa. The results showed that 75.8% (44/58) of the strains
produced halos of different diameters, indicating the presence of the T4P (Figure 4). Interestingly, 53.4% (31/58)
of the strains isolated from urine showed twitching motility activity, maintaining a high correlation with biofilm
formation (55%) by crystal violet (Figure 3). In addition,
this same phenomenon was observed in low percentag-

Sensitive

Intermediate

Clinical strains of P. aeruginosa

90
80
70
63%

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
AZT

GM

Monobactams

CIP

LEV

Fluoroquinolones

IMP

MEM CAZ CRO CTX

Carbapenemics

FEP

TIC

PZT

-lactamic
inhibitor of
-lactamase

Cephalosporins

Aminoglycosides

Figure 2. (A) Susceptibility

test to 12 antibiotics of strains
of P. aeruginosa of clinical
origin. AZT, aztreonam, GM,
gentamycin; CIP, ciprofloxacin;
LEV, levofloxacin; IMP, imipenem; MEM, meropenem; CAZ,
ceftazidime; CRO, ceftriaxone;
CTX, cefotaxime; FEP, cefepime; TIC, ticarcilin-clavulanic; PZT, piperacilin-tazobactam.
(B) Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of MEM and IMP
in 58 strains of P. aeruginosa
resistant to carbapenemics. (C)
Production of metallo-b-lactamases (MBL) by double-disk
synergism for IMP and MEM in
58 strains of P. aeruginosa resistant to carbapenemics.

Types of antibiotics
60
50

MEM

IMP

56.8

% of P. aeruginosa
resistant to carbapenemics

% of P. aeruginosa
resistant to carbapenemics

43.1

40
30
20

43

43

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10
0
16
32
64
128
Concentration of antibiotic (g/ml)

138

45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

256

12
2

Negative
MBL of MBL of MEM MBL of IMP
MBL
MEM
MBL of IMP
Production of MBL for IMP and MEM

Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex

Pathogenic characteristics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems associated with biofilm formation

>436.5 kb and <48.5 kb kb (Figure 5). Pattern A grouped

the greatest number of strains with 68.7% (11/16), pattern
B with 18.7% (3/16), pattern C with 6.2% (1/16) and pattern D with 6.2% (1/16) (Figure 5).

es in strains isolated from catheter, surgical wound and

blood, whereas in strains from bronchial aspirate isolates
no twitching motility activity was seen (Figure 4).
PFGE assays were performed in 16 P. aeruginosa
strains resistant to carbapenems and high producers of
EPS reducers during biofilm formation. Dendrogram analysis showed the presence of four patterns (A, B, C and D)
with restriction digests of Spe I enzyme, generating profiles of between 16 and 20 bands with molecular weights

Discussion
P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen of
great importance due to its resistance to multiple antibi-

Table 1. Biofilm quantification of the 58 strains of P. aeruginosa resistant to carbapenemics using diverse methods
Quantification method
Biofilms

Crystal violet
# of strains (%)

Anthrone
# of strains (%)

DNS
# of strains (%)

Low

1 (1.7%)
OD600nm 1.0-4.3

11 (18.9%)
CV= 40-577 g/ml

26 (44.8%)
CV= 83-206 g/ml

Average

9 (15.5%)
OD600nm 4.4-8.7

20 (34.4%)
CV= 578-2000 g/ml

16 (27.5%)
CV= 207-315 g/ml

High

48 (82.7%)
OD600nm 8.8-212

27 (46.5%)
CV= 2001-6000 g/ml

16 (27.5%)
CV= 316-1108 g/ml

Total

58

58

58

CV, cutoff value; OD600nm, optical density at 600 nm; DNS, 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid.

High

Medium

Low

55

80

60

3.4

1.7
3.4

1.7

3.4

10.3

20

6.8

40

8.6

% of quantification of
biofilms in strains resistant
to carbapenemics

0
Urine
Tube
Blood
Catheter Bronchaspirator Surgical

wound
Sample type
B I

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www.medigraphic.org.mx
II

III

Figure 3. (A) Qualitative analysis of the formation percentage

of biofilms in clinical strains of
P. aeruginosa resistant to carbapenemics. (B) Quantitative
analysis of the formation of
biofilms using crystal violet of
clinical strains of P. aeruginosa
resistant to carbapenemics. Images were processed using a
light microscope (100X). i) Low
biofilm formers (2.31 OD600nm);
ii) average biofilm formers (4.92
OD600nm); and iii) high biofilm
formers (212 OD600nm).

139

Sara A. Ochoa, Fernanda Lpez-Montiel, Gerardo Escalona, Ariadnna Cruz-Crdova, Leticia B. Dvila, Briseida Lpez-Martnez,
Yolanda Jimnez-Tapia, Silvia Giono, Carlos Eslava, Rigoberto Hernndez-Castro, Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes

% of quantification of twitching
motility in strains resistant to
carbapenemics

otics, making patient treatment difficult. Its versatility to

remain in the environment and in substrates (such as disinfecting solutions, soaps, surgical equipment and in common usage in hospitals) make it a bacterium of interest in
nosocomial infections.1,22 An important characteristic of
these bacteria is its natural resistance to various antibiotics
and their capacity to horizontally acquire genetic material
that promotes genetic exchange among intrahospital species, as observed in the transference of extended spectrum
b-lactamase genes and MBL among intrahospital pathogens such as extended-spectrum MBL among nosocomial
pathogens such as E. coli and K. pneumoniae.23
Carbapenems are antibiotics used as the treatment of
choice for infections caused by P. aeruginosa. In recent
years, in several countries (Africa, Europe, Mxico, Central and South America)8,24,25 an increase in P. aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems has been observed,
which has generated a health problem of great interest for
therapeutic treatments.26-28 Data obtained in this study
showed a range of resistance >50% for different groups
of antibiotics, and 63% of the strains were identified as
multiresistant. These data correlate with what has been reported in other Latin American countries.25,26 Gomes et al.
discussed the importance of multiresistant P. aeruginosa
strains related to mortality of patients hospitalized with
AIDS and the need for multidisciplinary intervention in
the prevention and management of these infections.29
The strains studied were recovered from hospitalized
children in different departments of the HIMFG, consid-

60

53.4

50
40
30
20
10
0

10.3

5.1

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3.4

3.4

Tube
Blood
Catheter Surgical
Urine
wound
Sample type
Figure 4. Qualitative analysis of the activity of twitching motility
in P. aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenemics of different
origins.

140

ered a tertiary hospital. The operating rooms, pediatric

intensive care unit and pediatric departments were the areas that showed a higher percentage of isolation of this
nosocomial pathogen, with 30.4% (28/92), 16.3% (15/92)
and 10.8% (10/92), respectively. Moreover, P. aeruginosa
strains resistant to carbapenems were isolated mainly in
urine samples with a percentage of 50% isolation (46/92).
These data correlated directly with the presence of P. aeruginosa as one of the main etiological agents of urinary
tract infection, which is the site where it disseminates
to cause systemic infections.30 Hammami et al.31 and
Vitkauskien et al.32 described the presence of clinical
strains of P. aeruginosa resistant to carbapenems in various hospital intensive care units.
Treatment of nosocomial infections caused by strains
of P. aeruginosa due to overuse of carbapenems (meropenem and imipenem) has facilitated the emergence of an
elevated resistance to these antibiotics. In the studies by
Kumar et al. in nosocomial P. aeruginosa isolates in India,
it was concluded that the high prevalence of P. aeruginosa
strains resistant to carbapenems and MBL producers was
due to the excessive use of carbapenems in hospitals when
treating nosocomial infections.33 The results in P. aeruginosa strains of clinical origin of the HIMFG showed a
profile of high resistance to meropenem and imipenem:
63.4% (58/92) and 60.8% (56/92), respectively. In this
work it was considered important to identify P. aeruginosa
strains producers of MBL as a mechanism of resistance to
these antibiotics.27 The results showed that 43% (25/58) of
the P. aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenem of clinical origin were producers of MBL for MEM, 2% (1/58)
producers of MBL for IMP, 12% (7/58) for both MBL
and 43% (25/58) negative for the production of MBL.
According to these data, clinical strains of P. aeruginosa
showed a high frequency of MBL cases for meropenem, a
carbapenem widely used for the treatment of nosocomial
infections caused by this microorganism.9,27
MBL production in imipenem was found in 2% as
compared to the production of 43% of MBL for meropenem. Imipenem is an antimicrobial used in combination
with cilastatin to promote absorption and bioavailability
of the antibiotic. Due to reported side effects, limitations
exist for its use in pediatric patients.4,28 Twelve percent of
P. aeruginosa strains were producers of both MBL, which
indicated a rapid spread of bacterial resistance. MBL encoded in mobile elements are easy to move in hospitals
Bol Med Hosp Infant Mex

Pathogenic characteristics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems associated with biofilm formation

among bacteria of the same genus and other pathogens circulating in the hospital environment.10 Recently, a prevalence of 26.9% of multiresistant hospital P. aeruginosa
strains was reported in India with a mortality of 34.2% of
infected patients.33
Additionally, production of MBL as a known and
causative factor of resistance in nosocomial strains, the
production of biofilms by P. aeruginosa makes intrahospital infections difficult to treat due to its highly organized
structure, which functions as a barrier for antimicrobial
action.34 Bacteria within the biofilms are more resistant
to physical and chemical changes by different chemotherapeutic agents than bacteria in their platonic growth

Jaccard similarity coefficient

r=0.99556

phase.34,35 In this study we evaluated the formation of

biofilms in P. aeruginosa clinical strains that were resistant to carbopenem with three methods: crystal violet, anthrone, and DNS. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of crystal violet assays showed that 82.7% (48/58) of
P. aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems were high
biofilm formers, whereas 15.5% (9/58) of the strains were
considered average biofilm formers and 1.7% (1/58) were
low biofilm formers. With this method it was determined
that of the strains isolated from urine, 55% (32/58) were
categorized as strains that were high biofilm formers. Subramanian et al. conducted biofilm studies on bacteria isolated from urine samples, identifying P. aeruginosa as a

119U1
160A
160B
205U
896D2
A
746U
64D
897D2
540U
450U
896D1
352UC1
B
352UC2
352UC3

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C

553H

D
99AH
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
Jaccard coefficient

PM
kb
388 291 194

Vol. 70, March-April 2013

97 48.5

Figure 5.
Dendrogram of the 16 products
using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in strains of
P. aeruginosa resistant to high
biofilm forming carbapenemics
according to the DNS method
(3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid).

141

Sara A. Ochoa, Fernanda Lpez-Montiel, Gerardo Escalona, Ariadnna Cruz-Crdova, Leticia B. Dvila, Briseida Lpez-Martnez,
Yolanda Jimnez-Tapia, Silvia Giono, Carlos Eslava, Rigoberto Hernndez-Castro, Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes

pathogen involved in biofilm formation with the ability to

maintain a high resistance to various antibiotics.36,37
Total EPS presence was determined by the anthrone
method in biofilms of strains of P. aeruginosa resistant to
carbapenems. Furthermore, quantification of total sugars
showed heterogeneity in the production of EPS with values from 40-6000 mg/ml in the 58 strains of P. aeruginosa;
18.9% (11/58) of the strains showed EPS values between
40 and 577 mg/ml and were classified as low biofilm formers, 34.4% (20/58) showed values from 578-2000 g/ml
and were classified as average biofilm formers, and 46.5%
(27/58) showed values between 2001 and 6000 g/ml and
were classified as high formers of biofilms. Taking the
same criteria into consideration, we determined the levels
of sugar reducers involved in biofilm formation in strains
of P. aeruginosa strains resistant to carbapenems according to the DNS method; 44.8% (26/58) of the strains of P.
aeruginosa were classified as low biofilm-forming with
values between 83 and 206 mg/ml, 27.5% (16/58) were
classified as average biofilm formers with values between
207 and 315 mg/ml and 27.5% (16/58) were classified as
high biofilm formers with values between 316 and 1108
mg/ml. Regardless of the detection method used to quantitatively determine formation of biofilm in strains of P.
aeruginosa resistant to carbapenems, there was a high percentage of strains classified as high producers of biofilms.
Likewise, with a high content of total-reducers of sugars,
structural elements are required for bacterial host colonization. Irie et al. carried out biofilm models in P. aeruginosa and showed the presence of intracellular secondary
messenger with diguanylate cyclase activity, which acts
by stimulating the production of polysaccharide matrix
components of biofilm and activity of the psl operon for
alginate production.38
Twitching motility activity in P. aeruginosa is generated by the presence of the T4P involved in biofilm formation on biotic and abiotic surfaces.39,40 The results obtained in this study showed that 75.8% of P. aeruginosa
strains resistant to carbapenems produced halos of different diameters, indicating the phenotypic expression of the
T4P. Furthermore, 53.4% of clinical strains with twitching
motility activity were observed in urine samples. This correlates with the high percentages (55%) of the samples of
biofilm formers quantified with crystal violet.
PFGE analysis in the 11 strains grouped in pattern A
showed a highly related profile with a similarity of 100%,

indicating the presence of the same clone according to the

criteria of Tenover et al.23 The B pattern demonstrated
similarity with pattern A. On the other hand, patterns C
and D demonstrated a similarity of 46.2 and 59.2% with
pattern A, respectively. These similar values were considered to be unrelated.41,42 Diverse typing methods such as
PFGE have been used in epidemiological studies with P.
aeruginosa, with the goal of understanding the clonal relationship of the strains and their clinical profile.42 Yousefi
et al. genotypically characterized a collection of multiresistant P. aeruginosa clones isolated from a burn unit in
Iran and identified, by PFGE, the presence of 12 different genotypes with a similarity of >80%.43 Recently, 14
Mexican strains of P. aeruginosa producers of MBL from
a hospital source demonstrated four clonal patterns.44
A high percentage of children admitted to the HIMFG are immunocompromised patients. This status favors
colonization and infection by carbapenem-resistant strains
of P. aeruginosa. Detection of total sugars, reducing sugars and twitching motility activity are factors that are involved in the development of biofilms and the resistance
to carbapenems and production of MBL in P. aeruginosa
strains. These factors may facilitate colonization and infection by this opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised patients.
Correspondence: Dr. Juan Xicohtencatl Cortes
Laboratorio de Bacteriologa Intestinal
Hospital Infantil de Mxico Federico Gmez,
Mxico, D.F., Mxico
E-mail: [email protected]

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Sara A. Ochoa, Fernanda Lpez-Montiel, Gerardo Escalona, Ariadnna Cruz-Crdova, Leticia B. Dvila, Briseida Lpez-Martnez,
Yolanda Jimnez-Tapia, Silvia Giono, Carlos Eslava, Rigoberto Hernndez-Castro, Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes

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