Difference Between E. Coli and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

The key difference between E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa is that E. coli is a facultative anaerobic bacterial species that belongs to family Enterobacteriaceae and genus Escherichia, while P. aeruginosa is an aerobic bacterial species that belongs to family Pseudomonadadaceae and genus Pseudomonas.

Both E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are gram-negative, rod-shaped and motile bacteria. Furthermore, they are encapsulated bacteria. But, E. coli is a species of genus Escherichia while P. aeruginosa is a species of genus Pseudomonas.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is E. Coli 
3. What is Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
4. Similarities Between E. Coli and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
5. Side by Side Comparison – E. Coli vs Pseudomonas Aeruginosa in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is E. Coli?

E. coli is a gram-negative, rod-shaped, facultative anaerobic bacterium that belongs to family Enterobacteriaceae. It is a faecal coliform bacterium commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms. Many E. coli strains are harmless, and they are a part of the normal microbiota of the gut that keeps the gut healthy. But, some serotypes cause serious food poisoning, severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhoea, kidney failure and vomiting. Especially the strain E. coli O157:H7 produces a powerful toxin known as Shiga, which is responsible for severe food poisoning. E. coli enter to us through the faecal-oral route. Water, raw vegetables, unpasteurized milk and uncooked meat, are several common sources of E. coli. Thus, it is possible to minimize E. coli infections mainly by proper food preparation and good hygiene.

E. coli is one of the key prokaryotic model organisms used in the fields of biotechnology and microbiology. Hence, in many recombinant DNA experiments, E. coli serves as the host organism. The reasons behind using E. coli as the primary model organism are some characteristics of E. coli such as fast growth, availability of cheap culture media to grow, easiness to manipulate, extensive knowledge of its genetics and genomics, etc.

What is Pseudomonas Aeruginosa?

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium present in the soil, water and other moist locations. Similar to E. coli, P. aeruginosa is an encapsulated bacterium. Moreover, it is a motile bacterium. It possesses a single flagellum. Furthermore, P. aeruginosa is a part of the skin flora. It is not a harmful bacterium. But, it acts as an opportunistic pathogen.  When P. aeruginosa is virulent, it causes cancer, cystic fibrosis, and burns.

One of the characteristic features of P. aeruginosa is the fluorescence it produces under UV light. It is due to the production of fluorescent pigment pyoverdin by this bacterium.

What are the Similarities Between E. Coli and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa?

• Both E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are two bacteria that are gram-negative and rod-shaped.
• They are encapsulated bacteria.
• Moreover, they are opportunistic pathogens in humans.
• Both bacteria are motile.

What is the Difference Between E. Coli and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa?

E.coli is a coliform bacterium that belongs to genus Escherichia. On the other hand, P. aeruginosa is a non-coliform bacterium that belongs to the genus Pseudomonas. So, this is the key difference between E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Furthermore, E. coli is a part of normal gut flora while P. aeruginosa is a part of normal skin flora. Besides, a further difference between E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa is that E. coli has peritrichous flagella while Pseudomonas aeruginosa has a single flagellum.

Summary – E. Coli vs Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

E.coli and P. aeruginosa are two bacterial species belonging to genus Escherichia and genus Pseudomonas, respectively. Both are grams negative, rod-shaped, encapsulated motile bacteria. Moreover, E. coli is facultative anaerobic, while P. aeruginosa is mainly aerobic. So, this is the key the difference between E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, E. coli has peritrichous flagella while P. aeruginosa has a single polar flagellum.

Reference:

1. “Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 July 2019, Available here.
2. Todar, Kenneth, and Madison. Pseudomonas, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “gram, negative, Escherichia, Coli, bacteria” (CC0) via Pixino
2. “Pseudomonas aeruginosa” By Sun14916 – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia