Mucoid pseudomonas aeruginosa from a patient without cystic fibrosis: Implications and review of the literature

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is commonly isolated from the respiratory tract of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). In patients with advanced disease a high percentage of these strains are mucoid and are characterized by the production of excessive amounts of exo-polysaccharides.1 Mucoid strains have been rarely reported from other human sources and are rarer in children who do not have cystic fibrosis. We report a patient who has been chronically colonized with a mucoid strain of P. aeruginosa and was initially diagnosed as having cystic fibrosis. Reevaluation, however, did not substantiate the diagnosis and prompted a review of the occurrence and clinical significance of mucoid strains of P. aeruginosa in non-CF patient populations.