Recurrent recovery of Pseudomonas oryzihabitans strains in a karstified chalk aquifer

Pseudomonas oryzihabitans is an uncommon pathogen that may cause catheter-associated infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Although it has been isolated from environment, the source of human infection is not well documented. In the present study, 14 isolates of P. oryzihabitans were recovered over a 28-month period from a karstified chalk aquifer, allowing to advance that distributed natural water could be a source of contamination. Microbiological analyses showed that the bacterium was mainly associated with suspended particulate matters. To investigate the clonality of P. oryzihabitans environmental isolates, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, antibiogram and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) typings were performed. Results demonstrated (i) the presence of at least three clones within the aquifer and (ii) that the presence of the bacterium in groundwater is not only the result of a biofilm bloom but also of an exogenous contamination.