I’ve only seen about a dozen cases of this one, so if you have it please contact me so I can add to the knowledge base on it.
While Pseudomonas doesn’t produce nitrites at the same rate as most other types of gram negative bacteria, like them it’s motile (it swims via flagellar propulsion, meaning it can travel to the kidneys and then to the bloodstream) and feeds on nitrates in an acidic environment. Bolded comments in parenthesis mine.
The bacterium is ubiquitous in soil and water, and on surfaces in contact with soil or water. Its metabolism is respiratory and never fermentative, but it will grow in the absence of O2 (oxygen) if NO3 (nitrate) is available as a respiratory electron acceptor. (In other words, it flourishes in the bladder)
The typical Pseudomonas bacterium in nature might be found in a biofilm, attached to some surface or substrate, or in a planktonic form, as a unicellular organism, actively swimming by means of its flagellum. Pseudomonas is one of the most vigorous, fast-swimming bacteria seen in hay infusions and pond water samples.
In its natural habitat Pseudomonas aeruginosa is not particularly distinctive as a pseudomonad, but it does have a combination of physiological traits that are noteworthy and may relate to its pathogenesis (how it develops from a harmless soil and water-borne bacteria into a disease in the human body).
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa has very simple nutritional requirements. It is often observed “growing in distilled water”, which is evidence of its minimal nutritional needs. In the laboratory, the simplest medium for growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa consists of acetate as a source of carbon and ammonium sulfate as a source of nitrogen.
• P. aeruginosa possesses the metabolic versatility for which pseudomonads are so renowned. Organic growth factors are not required, and it can use more than seventy-five organic compounds for growth.
• Its optimum temperature for growth is 37 degrees C (Yes, my fellow Americans, that’s 98.6F), and it is able to grow at temperatures as high as 42 degrees (you’ll die of a fever before it will).
• It is tolerant to a wide variety of physical conditions, including temperature. It is resistant to high concentrations of salts and dyes, weak antiseptics, and many commonly used antibiotics.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa has a predilection for growth in moist environments (like the bladder, kidneys, and lungs), which is probably a reflection of its natural existence in soil and water.
These natural properties of the bacterium undoubtedly contribute to its ecological success as an opportunistic pathogen. They also help explain the ubiquitous nature of the organism and its prominence as a nosocomial (hospital-acquired) pathogen.
While it causes a relatively low percentage of bladder infections compared to previous perps in the Kill List series, it’s disproportionately high up the list of antibiotic-proof infections. As outlined above, Pseudomonas is highly adaptable, opportunistic, adept at biofilm formation, and frequently introduced to the bladder via catheterization of a hospital patient who’s already immuno-compromised.
