Pseudomonas infection

A pseudomonas infection is caused by a very common type of bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa (say "soo-duh-MOH-nuss ay-roo-jee-NOH-suh").

Healthy people often carry these bacteria around without knowing it and without having any problems. Sometimes these germs cause minor problems like swimmer's ear and hot tub rash. But for people who are weak or ill, these germs can cause very serious—even deadly—infections in any part of the body.

The infections are hard to treat because the bacteria can resist many types of antibiotics, the medicines normally used to kill bacteria.

Symptoms of a pseudomonas infection depend on where the infection is. If it's in a wound, there may be green-blue pus in or around the area. If you have swimmer's ear, your ear aches. If the infection causes pneumonia, you may get a cough. When the infections are elsewhere in the body, you may have a fever and feel tired. But all pseudomonas infections can make you very sick if they spread through the bloodstream (septicemia). A serious infection can cause symptoms of high fever, chills, confusion, and shock.

Antibiotics are the main treatment for a pseudomonas infection. It can be hard to find the right antibiotic because the bacteria are resistant to many of these medicines.

In some cases, surgery is used to remove infected tissue.

If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, be sure to take all the medicine even if you begin to feel better right away. If you don't take all the medicine, you may not kill all the bacteria. No matter what your treatment, it's important to call your doctor if your infection doesn't get better as expected.