Studies on multiple Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from individual burn patients by RFLP, O antigen serotyping and antibiogram analysis.

Multiple isolates of Pseud. aeruginosa from individual burn patients were tested for antibiotic susceptibility-resistance patterns (antibiogram), O serotype lipopolysaccharide and chromosomal DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) using a PAK pilin gene probe. Some patients were colonized by isolates identical by all three analytical procedures whereas other patients were found where multiple isolates were identical on the basis of serotype and antibiogram analysis, but different on the basis of RFLP analysis. Examples were found where multiple isolates from an individual patient appeared to be identical on the basis of serotyping and RFLP data, but different on the basis of antibiogram. Strains refractory to O serotyping could be characterized by RFLP type. These results indicate that RFLP analysis provides a valuable addition to routine serotyping and antibiogram studies on Pseud. aeruginosa isolates and that significant numbers of burn patients become co-colonized/co-infected with phenotypically diverse strains of this organism.