Regulation of Lectin Production by the Human Pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Chromobacterium violaceum : Effects of Choline, Trehalose, and Ethanol

The worldwide-distributed Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and the geographically restricted (confined to tropical and subtropical zones) Ralstonia solanacearum and Chromobacterium violaceum are Gram-negative proteobacteria that dwell in soil and water. They are essentially beneficial saprophytes that vigorously decompose plant and animal remnants and organic debris, contributing to world carbon and nitrogen cycling (Fig. 11.1). In accordance with their distinguished role in nature, these bacteria are endowed with very prosperous arsenals of cell-binding adhesins, toxicating proteinaceous and nonproteinaceous factors, and hydrolytic enzymes as virulence factors (VIFs), enabling them to home in on dead or damaged cells and molecules and attack them.