Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern of Pigmented and Non-Pigmented Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Urine in a Tertiary Care Hospital of North India
Abstract
Background: Pseudomonas spp is a clinically significant opportunistic pathogen frequently implicated in urinary tract infections. Differences in pigment production may indicate pathogenic variations and aid in optimizing treatment strategies.
Methods: A total of 4208 samples were processed according to standard microbiological techniques. Pigment production was enhanced on nutrient agar and antimicrobial sensitivity was performed according to CLSI guidelines. This data was then analyzed, noted and reported.
Results: 62 samples of Pseudomonas spp. were isolated, 29 (46.8%) samples did not produce any pigment, 19(30.6%) were green pyocyanin producers and 14 (22.6%) produced the pigment pyoverdine. Strains producing pigment were overall more resistant to tested antibiotics than strains not producing pigment. Pyoverdine producing strains demonstrated most resistance, but pyocyanin producing strains showed better sensitivity.
Conclusion: The findings underscore the need for routine pigment-based differentiation in clinical microbiology laboratories, as it may offer an early clue to resistance patterns and guide more effective empirical therapy.
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16. Ketelboeter LM, Potharla VY, Bardy SL. NTBC treatment of the pyomelanogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolate PA1111 inhibits pigment production and increases sensitivity to oxidative stress. Curr Microbiol 2014; 69(3):343-8.
17. Finlayson EA, Brown PD. Comparison of antibiotic resistance and virulence factors in pigmented and non-pigmented Pseudomonas aeruginosa. West Indian Med J 2011; 60(1):24-32.
18. Kothari A, Kumar SK, Singh V, et al. Association of multidrug resistance behavior of clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa to pigment coloration. Eur J Med Res 2022; 16;27(1):120.
19. Sarkheili M, Asghari Sana F, Ahmadi Asli S, et al. Biofilm formation, pigment production, and virulence gene profiles in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from respiratory and urinary tract infections. Gene Reports 2025; 39:102184.
20. Kang D, Revtovich AV, Chen Q, et al. Pyoverdine-dependent virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2048.
21. Finlayson EA, Brown PD. Comparison of antibiotic resistance and virulence factors in pigmented and non-pigmented Pseudomonas aeruginosa. West Indian Med J 2011; 60(1):24-32.
22. Yadav Suvarna A, Pawar Satyajeet K, Kakade Satish V, et al. Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a tertiary teaching hospital: a study of ampc and biofilm-producing clinical isolates. J Datta Meghe Ins Med Sci Univy 2024; 19(2):304-8.
23. Pina-Sánchez M, Rua M, López-Causapé C, et al. Ceftazidime-avibactam plus aztreonam cocktail for the treatment of VIM-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections: good enough to have another?. J Antimicrob Chemother 2025; 80(5):1371-6,
24. Chatterjee N, Nirwan PK, Srivastava S, et al. Trends in carbapenem resistance in Pre-COVID and COVID times in a tertiary care hospital in North India. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2023; 22(1):1.
25. Kumar D, Sagar S, Babita, et al. Demographic study and trends of antimicrobial resistance pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolated from various clinical samples, in a tertiary care hospital, at PMCH, Patna Bihar, India. Eur J Clin Med 2024; 14(2):238-42.
2. Krieg NR: Bergey’s manual of systematic bacteriology. In., 2nd edn.: Springer-Verlag; 2010.
3. Procop GW, Deirdre L, et al, Koneman’s color atlas and textbook of diagnostic microbiology. 7th ed, Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health; 2017. Chapter 7, The Nonfermentative Gram Negative Bacteria; p.340-345
4. Klevens RM, Edwards JR, Richards CL, et al. Estimating health care-associated infections and deaths in U.S. hospitals, 2002. Public Health Rep 2007; 122:160-6.
5. Bodey GP, Bolivar R, Fainstein V, et al. Infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Rev Infect Dis 1983; 5:279-313
6. Iglewski BH. Pseudomonas. In: Baron S, editor. Medical Microbiology. 4th edition. Galveston (TX): University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; 1996. Chapter 27.
7. Jarvis WR, Martone WJ. Predominant pathogens in hospital infections. J Antimicrob Chemother 1992; 29(suppl_A):19-24.
8. Marcus N, Ashkenazi S, Samra Z, et al. Community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa urinary tract infections in children hospitalized in a tertiary center: relative frequency, risk factors, antimicrobial resistance and treatment. Infection 2008; 36(5):421-6.
9. Goldman M, Rosenfeld-Yehoshua N, Lerner-Geva L, et al. Clinical features of community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa urinary tract infections in children. Pediatr Nephrol 2008; 23(5):765-8.
10. Lo DS, Shieh HH, Ragazzi SL, et al. Community-acquired urinary tract infection: age and gender-dependent etiology. J Bras Nefrol 2013; 35(2):93-8.
11. Poole K. Pseudomonas aeruginosa: resistance to the max. Front Microbiol 2011; 2:65.
12. Breidenstein EB, de la Fuente-Nunez C, Hancock RE. Pseudomonas aeruginosa: all roads lead to resistance. Trends Microbiol 2011; 19(8):419-26.
13. Cornelis, Pierre, ed. (2008). Pseudomonas: Genomics and Molecular Biology (1st ed.). Caister Academic Press. ISBN 978-1-904455-19-6.
14. Veesenmeyer A.R, Hauser T, Lisboa J. Rello Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence and therapy: evolving translational strategies Crit Care Med, 37 (2009), pp. 1777-1786
15. Dietrich LE, Price-Whelan A, Petersen A, et al. The phenazine pyocyanin is a terminal signalling factor in the quorum sensing network of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Mol Microbiol 2006; 61(5):1308-21.
16. Ketelboeter LM, Potharla VY, Bardy SL. NTBC treatment of the pyomelanogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolate PA1111 inhibits pigment production and increases sensitivity to oxidative stress. Curr Microbiol 2014; 69(3):343-8.
17. Finlayson EA, Brown PD. Comparison of antibiotic resistance and virulence factors in pigmented and non-pigmented Pseudomonas aeruginosa. West Indian Med J 2011; 60(1):24-32.
18. Kothari A, Kumar SK, Singh V, et al. Association of multidrug resistance behavior of clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa to pigment coloration. Eur J Med Res 2022; 16;27(1):120.
19. Sarkheili M, Asghari Sana F, Ahmadi Asli S, et al. Biofilm formation, pigment production, and virulence gene profiles in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from respiratory and urinary tract infections. Gene Reports 2025; 39:102184.
20. Kang D, Revtovich AV, Chen Q, et al. Pyoverdine-dependent virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2048.
21. Finlayson EA, Brown PD. Comparison of antibiotic resistance and virulence factors in pigmented and non-pigmented Pseudomonas aeruginosa. West Indian Med J 2011; 60(1):24-32.
22. Yadav Suvarna A, Pawar Satyajeet K, Kakade Satish V, et al. Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a tertiary teaching hospital: a study of ampc and biofilm-producing clinical isolates. J Datta Meghe Ins Med Sci Univy 2024; 19(2):304-8.
23. Pina-Sánchez M, Rua M, López-Causapé C, et al. Ceftazidime-avibactam plus aztreonam cocktail for the treatment of VIM-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections: good enough to have another?. J Antimicrob Chemother 2025; 80(5):1371-6,
24. Chatterjee N, Nirwan PK, Srivastava S, et al. Trends in carbapenem resistance in Pre-COVID and COVID times in a tertiary care hospital in North India. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2023; 22(1):1.
25. Kumar D, Sagar S, Babita, et al. Demographic study and trends of antimicrobial resistance pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolated from various clinical samples, in a tertiary care hospital, at PMCH, Patna Bihar, India. Eur J Clin Med 2024; 14(2):238-42.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 14 No 1 (2026) | |
| Section | Original Articles | |
| Keywords | ||
| Antimicrobial susceptibility testing Pigment production Pseudomonas Urinary tract infection. | ||
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How to Cite
1.
Jallu R, Nazir A, Jahan T. Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern of Pigmented and Non-Pigmented Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Urine in a Tertiary Care Hospital of North India. J Med Bacteriol. 2026;14(1):24-29.
