Survival dynamics of cystic fibrosis-related gram-negative bacterial pathogens (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cenocepacia) in Dead Sea and Atlantic Ocean waters

Abstract

Clinical cystic fibrosis (CF) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 6) and Burkholderia cenocepacia (n = 4) were inoculated in marine brines from the Dead Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and their survival was monitored over a 1 month duration. In Dead Sea samples, all P. aeruginosa and B. cenocepacia isolates were non-detectable by culture following 24 h incubation, including the non-selective enrichment samples. In the Atlantic Ocean brine, over a 1 month period, mean P. aeruginosa counts decreased by only 0.25 log10 units and mean B. cenocepacia counts decreased by approximately 4 log10 units (10,000 cfu/ml). This study demonstrated that Dead Sea brine exerted a lethal effect within 24 h on planktonic P. aeruginosa and B. cenocepacia. Thus, the Dead Sea effectively purges these organisms from its environment on a daily basis.