CHARACTERISTICS OF PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA IN RELATION TO LABORATORY-INDUCED RESISTANCE TO GENTAMICIN

Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain C2 was habituated to gentamicin by serial passage in broth containing increasing concentrations of the antibiotic and up to 250 μg/ml. The resistant progenies differed from the parent strain in antibiotic susceptibility to two other aminoglycosides, colonial morphology, lytic phage patterns, phage adsorption, and agglutination with the seven Fisher's antisera. All the progenies failed to grow at 42°C and oxidised glucose in O/F tubes after incubation at 37°C for three days but were catalase-and oxidase-positive. Reversion to the original properties of the parent strain was demonstrated in all cases after 10 serial subcultures in antibiotic-free broth.