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This study aimed to determine the genetic diversity of clinical multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing to analyze 187 strains isolated in different French hospitals. To illustrate the diversity of resistance mechanisms to antibiotics in a given clone, we identified β-lactamases with an extended spectrum by using phenotypic and genotypic methods. Typing results showed that the majority of our multidrug-resistant isolates belong to a few clonal types (ST235, ST111, and ST175) that are already spreading worldwide. These successful international clones sporadically produced extended-spectrum β-lactamase-encoding genes but mostly became extensively resistant to β-lactams after derepression of intrinsic resistance mechanisms (i.e., AmpC cephalosporinase). Our results indicate that cross-transmission plays a major role in the spread of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa in hospital settings.
Cholley et al. (2011) studied this question.