Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium which can cause disease in animals and humans. It belongs to the genus Pseudomonas
P. aeruginosa is a pathogen only in immuno-compromised individuals
Bacterial-fungal interactions
P. aeruginosa chitinase as a fungicide
Pseudomonas-Candida Interactions: An Ecological Role for Virulence Factors 2002
Bacterial-fungal interactions have great environmental, medical, and economic importance, yet few have been well characterized at the molecular level. Here, we describe a pathogenic interaction between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans, two opportunistic pathogens. P. aeruginosa forms a dense biofilm on C. albicans filaments and kills the fungus. In contrast, P. aeruginosa neither binds to nor kills yeast-form C. albicans. Several P. aeruginosa virulence factors that are important in disease are involved in the killing of C. albicans filaments. We propose that many virulence factors studied in the context of human infection may also have a role in bacterial-fungal interactions.
