Help clarify mucoid and non-mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa - (Feb/01/2013 )

Hi,

I came across the term mucoid and non-mucoid when reading articles about Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) biofilms in Cystic Fibrosis patients, and I couldn't find any explanation about what those terms meant exactly. Is mucoid another word for PA growing as a biofilm and non-mucoid for planktonic PA?

If anyone has knowledge in this area please help me understand the difference.

Thank You!

I think non-mucoid Pseudomonas can also produce biofilms, if I'm not mistaken....
This website http://textbookofbacteriology.net/pseudomonas.html says:

"P. aeruginosa isolates may produce three colony types. Natural isolates from soil or water typically produce a small, rough colony. Clinical samples, in general, yield one or another of two smooth colony types. One type has a fried-egg appearance which is large, smooth, with flat edges and an elevated appearance. Another type, frequently obtained from respiratory and urinary tract secretions, has a mucoid appearance, which is attributed to the production of alginate slime. The smooth and mucoid colonies are presumed to play a role in colonization and virulence."

As for planktonic PA, I don't know how it's defined in relation to mucoid/non-mucoid, unfortunately...

Check this: http://ajcp.ascpjournals.org/content/128/1/32.full.pdf

Read the paper (its short) and check the references, it will be more clear to you then.
It has indeed nothing to do with the possibility to form a biofilm.
ANd check this: http://www.answers.com/topic/bacteria

Mucoid is thus pretty literal (mucus, slime layer around the bacteria..)

Thanks for the interesting looking article!