Phagocytosis and intracellular killing of mucoid and nonmucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from wounds of burned patients.

Phagocytosis and intracellular killing of 10 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains in mucoid and nonmucoid state were studied. All strains were isolated from wounds of burned patients and belonged to Habs serogroup 0:6. It has been found that nonmucoid P. aeruginosa were phagocytized by guinea-pig leukocytes in greater proportion than mucoid variants of the same strain. Similarly, nonmucoid organisms were more susceptible to phagocytic killing than mucoid ones. These differences have been found statistically significant.