Survivorship Capabilities of Environmental and Clinical Pantoea Isolates

Date
2011-04-02
Authors
Pettit, Maggi
Stavrinides, John
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Regina Graduate Students' Association
Abstract

Bacteria are found in almost all environments, and have adapted to withstand the conditions within their environment. For human pathogens this is especially important since they have to be able to adapt to a variety of very harsh conditions, inside and outside of their host, in order to survive. The genus Pantoea is a group of Gram negative bacilli that are found in plants, animals and soil, and have been found to be opportunistic pathogens. A study of the survivorship capabilities of 97 Pantoea and closely related isolates was conducted, representing 63 environmental and 31 clinical isolates. Desiccation resistance, ability to grow at varying pHs, biofilm formation, and antibiotic resistance were evaluated for all strains to determine the survivorship potential of each strain. Biofilm was shown to be positively correlated with environmental strains, while desiccation resistance was dependant on phylogeny. Acidity survival was positively correlated with desiccation resistance for all strains. Antibiotic resistance was much more prevalent in clinical isolates and did not appear to correlate with biofilm formation or desiccation resistance. Understanding the survivorship abilities of each strain will lead to a better understanding of what allows certain species of this genus to infect humans while others do not.

Description
Keywords
Pantoea, Biofilm, Dessication, Antibiotic resistance
Citation