Public health and sanitation issues related to the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Representatives of pseudomonads can be assigned to undesirable microorganisms frequently isolated in the food industry, including the dairy industry. Opportunistic pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is of particular importance and its role in contamination of industrial equipment and secondary contamination of finished dairy products is growing steadily. This Gram-negative bacterium is ubiquitous in the nature and is characterized by multifactor resistance to a broad spectrum of antimicrobials and the ability of quickly adapt to changing conditions of the habitat. Being quite an active biofilm former, P. aeruginosa can effectively colonize various surfaces. The ability to grow in a wide temperature range allows the bacterium to multiply directly in milk upon storage in a refrigerator. Entry of P. aeruginosa into enterprises of the food industry leads to economic losses due to food spoilage. Being a cause of a broad spectrum of acute and chronic diseases, P. aeruginosa can present a direct threat to human health when entering the food chains. The present review is devoted to the problems linked to P. aeruginosa contamination in food enterprises as well as methods of identification and control of this bacterium. The authors confirmed the topicality and necessity of the active search for and development of means to counteract P. aeruginosa, which uses multiple mechanisms of stress resistance. The system of prophylactic actions in food industry enterprises should contemplate a possibility of rapid correction of a complex of disinfection measures. To eliminate successfully such a difficult pathogen as P. aeruginosa, combinations of strategies developed with participation of specialists of different areas of expertise are desirable.