What is the Difference Between Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Pseudomonas Putida

The main difference between Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Pseudomonas Putida is that P. Aeruginosa is a disease-causing microorganism whereas P. putida is a saprophytic soil bacterium.

P. aeruginosa and P. putida are two types of Pseudomonas species that belong to the Family Pseudomonadaceae. Both are Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria.

Key Areas Covered

1. What are Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
– Definition, Characteristics, Importance
2. What are Pseudomonas Putida
– Definition, Characteristics, Importance
3. Similarities Between Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Pseudomonas Putida
– Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Pseudomonas Putida
– Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Pseudomonas Putida

Difference Between Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Pseudomonas Putida-Comparison Summary

What is Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

P. aeruginosa is an encapsulated bacterium that is Gram-negative. It is an aerobic or facultative anaerobic bacterium. More importantly, P. aeruginosa is a disease-causing bacterium in plants, animals, and humans. It is also a multidrug-resistant pathogen. In general, it causes hospital-acquired infections such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and various sepsis syndromes. Normally, P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes serious infections during existing disease conditions. In addition, it affects immunocompromised individuals. However, it is difficult to treat P. aeruginosa infections as the bacteria is multidrug-resistant.

Compare Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Pseudomonas Putida

Figure 1: P. Aeruginosa

Furthermore, P. aeruginosa lives in soil, water, skin flora, and most man-made environments. Generally, it is an aerobic bacterium that thrives in the normal atmosphere. It can tolerate low oxygen atmospheres as well. Its versatility allows the bacterium to infect damaged tissues as well as individuals with reduced immunity. Inflammation and sepsis are the generalized symptoms of P. aeruginosa infections. It can be fatal when the bacterial infection is in the lungs, the urinary tract, and kidneys. Because it thrives on moist surfaces, this bacterium is also found on and in medical equipment, including catheters, causing cross-infections in hospitals and clinics. However, the bacterial infection of P. aeruginosa is less virulent in comparison to Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes.

What is Pseudomonas Putida

P. putida is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is saprophytic. More importantly, P. putida is capable of undergoing bioremediation of environmental pollutants. Generally, the wild-type strains of P. putida are capable of bioremediating the soil inoculant to remedy naphthalene-contaminated soils. P. putida is capable of converting styrene oil into biodegradable plastic PHA. This is due to the effective recycling of the polystyrene form. However, it is the first patented organism in the world.

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa vs Pseudomonas Putida

Figure 2: Plasmodium in Blood Culture

Moreover, the diverse metabolism of the P. putida species allows the bioremediation of different organic sources taking into account their energy source. Bioremediation is the degradation of environmental pollutants by the use of microorganisms.

Similarities Between Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Pseudomonas Putida

  • P. aeruginosa and P. Putida are two types of Pseudomonas species of the Family Pseudomonadaceae.
  • Both are Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria.
  • They are aerobic, non-spore-forming, catalase-positive, and oxidase-positive bacteria.
  • One or more flagellum provides them motility.

Difference Between Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Pseudomonas Putida

Definition

P. aeruginosa refers to a common encapsulated, Gram-negative, aerobic–facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium that can cause disease in plants and animals, including humans while P. putida refers to a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, saprotrophic soil bacterium.

Habitat

Usually, P. aeruginosa lives in the soil, water, and skin flora while P. putida lives in the soil and water.

Pathogenicity

P. aeruginosa can cause diseases in plants, animals, and humans, while P. putida is a saprophytic bacterium that is rarely pathogenic.

Importance

P. aeruginosa causes hospital-acquired infections while P. putida is important in bioremediation.

Conclusion

In brief, P. aeruginosa and P. putida are two species of the genus Pseudomonas. Both are Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria. Both bacteria live in the soil and water. heyY are aerobic bacteria. P. aeruginosa lives in skin flora and it causes diseases in plants, animals, and humans. However, P. putida is a saprophytic bacterium. Therefore, the main difference between P. aeruginosa and P. putida is their pathogenicity.

References
  1. Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Sept. 2022.
  2. Pseudomonas Putida.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Aug. 2022.
Image Courtesy:
  1. Pseudomonas aeruginosa smear Gram 2010-02-10” By Paulo Henrique Orlandi Mourao – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
  2. Pseudomonas aeruginosa on blood agar” By – Own Work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

About the Author: Lakna

Lakna, a graduate in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, is a Molecular Biologist and has a broad and keen interest in the discovery of nature related things. She has a keen interest in writing articles regarding science.

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