Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Basic description of microbe:

• Straight or slightly curved rods

• Motile; rarely nonmotile

• Aerobic

• 0.5-1.0 μm

What it looks like on the agar:

• Whole Colony                                      Irregular          

• Margin                                                 Irregular

• Elevation                                              Raised, spreading edge

• Color                                                   diffusible blue-green pigment

• Colony Texture                                     dry

Biochemical tests: 

• Catalase                                               positive

Interesting Facts:

• Occasionally pathogen of plants, but also pathogen of humans (opportunistic pathogen)

• Causes urinary tract infections, respiratory system infections, dermatitis, soft tissue infections, bacteremia, bone and joint infections, gastrointestinal infections

• Systemic infections particularly in patients with severe burns, cancer, and AIDS