The role of extracellular products of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the pathogenesis of infection; an experimental study employing intraperitoneal diffusion chambers.

Exotoxin A is currently thought to be the principal lethal factor in experimental Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. This belief is founded on the demonstrable toxicity of purified preparations, and on detection of the toxin in the tissues of burned animals infected with Ps. aeruginosa. In the present study, strains of Ps. aeruginosa differing in their ability to produce exotoxin A and other virulence factors in vitro were enclosed within vinyl diffusion chambers and implanted i.p. into mice. Strains which produced much exotoxin A in vitro were not significantly more virulent when enclosed in chambers than strains which produced little exotoxin. In all cases, diffusion of exotoxin A produced within the chamber was impeded by dense adherence of the omentum. It is concluded that, although absorption of exotoxin A may be an important factor in causing death after infected burns, it is not necessarily equally significant in other types of infection.