Sketchy Micro: Pseudomonas Flashcards
What type of bacteria is Pseudomonas?
Gram-negative rod (like the red bathtub)
Pseudomonas thrives in ___________ environments.
aquatic (again riffing on the bathtub theme)
Pseudomonas is __________-positive (two answers).
catalase- and oxidase
Think of the ring on Mona’s finger and the cat pawing at the shower curtain.
What symbol on the side of the tub represents a feature of Pseudomonas?
The blue-green discoloration of the red tube symbolizes how Pseudomonas exudes pigments called pyocyanin and pyoverdin that can turn an agar (or even a wound) blueish green.
Pseudomonas has a characteristic odor: _______________.
that of grapes (like Mona eating grapes from the table near her tub)
What feature helps distinguish Pseudomonas from the other Gram-negative enteric bacilli?
It is an obligate aerobe (represented by the bellows held by Mona’s servant).
Pseudomonas is the top cause of ______________.
nosocomial pneumonia and respiratory failure in CF patients
These are both symbolized by the nurse – nosocomial –dumping Cl- into the tub –representing CF.
Pseudomonas is a common cause of ____________ in diabetics and IV drug users.
osteomyelitis (represented by the fishbones near the candies [diabetes] and mortal/pestle [IV drug users])
What property – other than diabetic osteomyelitis –is symbolized in the candy jar?
That Pseudomonas is encapsulated
If a question stem mentions skin infections in a _________ patient, it’s probably trying to get you to think of Pseudomonas.
burn (like the servant’s hat on fire)
In addition to pneumonia, Pseudomonas is also frequently implicated in nosocomial _____________.
UTIs
Think of the chamber pot near the nurse.
Two skin lesions can arise in healthy skin from a Pseudomonas infection: _____________.
hot tub folliculitis (a pruritic, papular rash caused by underchlorinated hot tub water) and ecthyma gangrenosum (black eschars released in a septic patient with Pseudomonas bacteremia)
(Think of the hot tub, duh, and the dalmatian.)
Pseudomonas has a toxin nearly identical to that of _________________.
Corynebacterium diphtheriae (think of the suitor outside Mona’s door with the elongating concertina and the large bowtie –Pseudomonas toxin also ribosylates elongation factor!)
Three antibiotics can treat Pseudomonas infections: _______________________.
piperacillin/tazobactam, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones (the last is often used to treat UTIs)
(Think of the PIPER and the other suitor with the sai and the flower.)
