Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from swimming pools in northern Greece.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important agent of opportunistic infection in aquatic environments. Our aim was to evaluate the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of P. aeruginosa in the water of swimming pools in northern Greece. Water samples were obtained from hydrotherapy pools, jacuzzis/spas and swimming pools. A total of 16.6% (45/271) of the samples were positive for P. aeruginosa. Of the amenities examined, the most contaminated were hydrotherapy pools (25% of samples positive). A small percentage of isolates (20.0%) showed resistance to antibiotics. Compared with other studies, the prevalence of P. aeruginosa in swimming pools was relatively low, while the antibiotic resistance pattern of these community isolates was not high.