Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pathogenesis in Diverse Environments
Summary
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a metabolically versatile gram-negative bacterium that thrives in a wide array of habitats, from soil and water to medical devices and human tissues. Its capacity to sense and adapt to environmental cues underpins its success as an opportunistic pathogen in settings as varied as agricultural ecosystems, potable water systems and immunocompromised hosts. Central to its pathogenicity are biofilm communities, elaborate regulatory circuits such as quorum sensing and specialised secretion systems that deliver toxins and enzymes to host cells. The organism’s intrinsic resistance to many antimicrobials arises from a combination of efflux pumps, low-permeability membranes and the production of protective extracellular polymers. Recent advances have illuminated how micronutrient availability, interspecies competition and host factors collectively modulate virulence, and have revealed promising avenues for novel interventions, including the use of endogenous antimicrobial peptides and natural product extracts to disrupt key infectivity mechanisms.
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Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pathogenesis in Diverse Environments publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenesis in diverse environments across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Opportunistic pathogen: A microorganism that causes disease primarily in hosts with weakened defences.
Biofilm: A structured community of bacteria encased in extracellular polymeric substances, adhering to surfaces and exhibiting increased resistance to antimicrobials.
Quorum sensing: A cell-to-cell communication mechanism by which bacteria coordinate gene expression in response to population density.
Exotoxin A: A potent protein toxin secreted by P. aeruginosa that inhibits host protein synthesis.
Siderophore: A low-molecular-weight compound secreted by bacteria to chelate and import iron from the environment.
Pyocyanin: A blue-green phenazine pigment and virulence factor produced by P. aeruginosa that generates reactive oxygen species and disrupts host cell functions.
References
- Zinc Exposure Promotes Commensal-to-Pathogen Transition in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Leading to Mucosal Inflammation and Illness in Mice. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2021).
- Pathogenesis of plant-associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Caenorhabditis elegans model. BMC Microbiology (2022).
- The Intestinal Biofilm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus Is Inhibited by Antimicrobial Peptides HBD-2 and HBD-3. Applied Sciences (2021).
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