PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA ISOLATED FROM THE MARINE ENVIRONMENTS IN THE ISTANBUL COASTAL AREA (TURKEY)

In this study, we used a chromogenic method to show the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in seawater. The culture dependent identification of P. aeruginosa typically takes approximately 2-3 days with conventional methods. More reliable, rapid and cost effective results can also be achieved with PCR based methodologies but only in microbiology laboratories equipped with suitable infrastructure. In this study, the use of CHROMagar, with its chromogenic characteristics, enabled us to detect Pseudomonas species in the seawater; independent of conventional culture techniques. The aim of this study was to establish a phenotypic framework to enable the identification of, and more importantly, the tracking of P. aeruginosa in seawater samples. By combining both the CHROMagar and PCR methods, a practical, costeffective and reliable method was developed which allowed for the identification and quantification of P.aeruginosa within a reduced timeframe of just two days.