Epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections investigated by pyocin typing.

All strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated in a large Canadian hospital over a 3-year period were typed by their pyocin production. Smaller collections of P. aeruginosa from other hospitals were also typed. Almost 3000 strains were examined. The typing method did not require use of complex reagents and was successful in subdividing P. aeruginosa into numerous types. No single type was restricted to infections of one particular kind. Infections of all kinds were associated with a wide variety of pyocin types. Extensive crossinfection with one particular pyocin type was observed only in urinary infection of patients with urologic disorders. The four pyocin types that were most frequent in our entire series have been reported as the commonest types causing infections in many other parts of the world.