RANDOM AMPLIFIED POLYMORHIC DNA TYPING OF MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT CLINICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL Pseudomonas aeruginosa STRAINS FROM ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA.

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a multidrug-resistant organism is responsible for most opportunistic infections. Genetic relatedness between clinical and environmental strains has always been limited to hospital settings.ª¤? This study utilized RAPD-PCR typing method to evaluate genetic relatedness between multidrug-resistantª¤? P. aeruginosa strains from diverse water samples (bottled water, tap water, sachet water, well water, hospital storage tank, and swimming pool water) and clinical strains (wound, blood, urine, eye and ear swab) collected from different locations in Abeokuta, Nigeria.ª¤?ª¤?ª¤? Polymorphic DNA bands with sizes ranging between 250 and 3000bp were generated from both clinical and environmental strains.ª¤? Within each population, both clinical and environmental strains were divided phylogenetically into two groups of Pc1 and Pc2 at 55% and Ps1 and Ps2 at 70% respectively.ª¤?ª¤?ª¤? Genetic similarities between clinical and environmental strains yielded a total of 7 unique fingerprints.ª¤?ª¤? Cluster 2 (51.2%) had the largest number of strains in which strains from wound, blood and ear, clustered with strains from hospital storage tank, tap water, swimming pool water, sachet water and well water.ª¤? ª¤?ª¤?These fingerprints proof genetic relatedness between clinical and environmental strains in Abeokuta, southwest Nigeria which is of public health significance, particularly, for immunocompromised

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