Ribotyping of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from patients and water springs and genome fingerprinting of variants concerning mucoidy.

Thirty-one strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolated from water springs, clinical isolates (some of which were from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients), and two type cultures, were characterized by ribotyping. After restriction of chromosomal DNA of the different isolates with EcoRI and hybridization of Southern transfer blots with 2-acetylaminofluorene labelled Escherichia coli 16S + 23S rRNA probe, eleven different ribopatterns were obtained, representing variations of a dominant profile. This largely predominant pattern included both type cultures, all six isolates from water springs, 33% of the nine CF isolates and 43% of fourteen other clinical isolates most of them from nosocomial infections. When the genomic macrorestriction fingerprints of three mucoid CF isolates, with Asel, Drai or BfrI were compared with those of their spontaneous variants, concerning mucoidy, no differences were detected.