The key difference between Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus is that Pseudomonas is a genus of Gram-negative rod-shaped Gamma-proteobacteria belonging to the family Pseudomonadaceae while Staphylococcus is a genus of Gram-positive spherical bacteria belonging to the family Staphylococcaceae.
Pseudomonas and Staphhlococcus are two clinically important bacterial genera. Pseudomonas is a genus of rod-shaped, polar-flagellated bacteria with some sporulating species. Pesudomonas demonstrates a great deal of metabolic diversity and is able to colonize a wide range of niches. Staphylococcus is a genus of spherical shaped bacteria that reside on the skin and mucous membranes of human and other animals.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Pseudomonas
3. What is Staphylococcus
4. Similarities Between Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus
5. Side by Side Comparison – Pseudomonas vs Staphylococcus in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is Pseudomonas?
Pseudomonas is a genus of bacteria that belong to the family of Pseudomonadaceae. This family comprises about 191 different known species. Pseudomonas bacteria are present in humans, water and plants, including dicots. The well-known species include P. aeruginosa (an opportunistic pathogen in human), P. syringae (a plant pathogen), P. putida (a soil species), and several growth-promoting species in plants such as P. fluorescens, P. lini, P. migulae, and P. Graminis, etc.
Figure 01: Pseudomonas
They were first classified and identified by Walter Migula. The complete genome sequence of Pseudomonas species was determined in 2000. According to that, their genome size is ranging from 5.5 to 7 Mbp (P. aeruginosa). Pseudomonas species have other characteristics: they are aerobic, non-spore-forming, catalase-positive and oxidase-positive. Of many different Pseudomonas species, the one that more frequently causes diseases in human is P. aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa can cause infections in the blood, lungs (pneumonia) or another part of the body after surgery. In 2017, multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa caused 32600 estimated hospitalized infections and 2700 estimated deaths in the United States.
What is Staphylococcus?
Staphylococcus is a genus of Gram-positive spherical-shaped bacteria in the family of Staphylococcaceae. Staphylococcus was first discovered in 1880 by the Scottish surgeon and bacteriologist Alexander Ogston. Staphylococcus genus has at least 40 species. Of these, nine have two subspecies, one has three subspecies, and one has four subspecies. The majority of Staphylococcus species do not cause diseases, and they reside on the skin and mucous membranes of human and other animals. Based on orthologous genes content, Staphylococcus is divided into three main groups: Group A, Group B, Group C.
Figure 02: Staphylococcus
The genome size of Staphylococcus (S. aureus) is approximately 2.8 Mbp coding for 2,614 open reading frames. Staphylococcus causes diseases by direct tissue infections and by exotoxin productions. Direct tissue infections are more common and include skin infection, pneumonia, endocarditis, osteomyelitis and infectious arthritis. Toxin-mediated Staphylococcal diseases include toxic shock syndrome, Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome and Staphylococcal food poisoning. Staphylococcus species are highly antibiotic-resistant. Methicillin-resistant S. Aureus is one example. Some strains are partially or totally resistant to the newest antibiotics such as linezolid, tedizolid, quinupristin, daptomycin, telavancin, dalbavancin, oritavancin, tigecycline, eravacycline, omadacycline, delafloxacin, ceftobiprole, lefamulin, etc.
What are the Similarities Between Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus?
- Both Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus are bacteria that are prokaryotic organisms.
- They cause diseases in human.
- They are microorganisms.
- Both are multidrug-resistant (antibiotics) bacteria.
What is the Difference Between Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus?
Pseudomonas is a genus of Gram-negative rod-shaped Gamma-proteobacteria belonging to the family of Pseudomonadaceae. On the other hand, Staphylococcus is a genus of Gram-positive spherical-shaped bacteria in the family of Staphylococcaceae. So, this is the key difference between Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus. Pseudomonas shows a wide distribution, including water, plants (dicots), and human bodies. Whereas, Staphylococcus is predominantly found in the skin and mucous membranes of human and other animals.
Moreover, Pseudomonas causes diseases such as urinary tract infections, respiratory system infections (pneumonia), dermatitis, soft tissue infections, bacteraemia, bone and joint infections, gastrointestinal infections, and systematic infections in patients with burns and cancer in those who are immunocompromised. Meanwhile, Staphylococcus causes skin infection, pneumonia, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, infectious arthritis, toxic shock syndrome, Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, and food poisoning.
The below infographic lists more differences between Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus in tabular form.
Summary – Pseudomonas vs Staphylococcus
Pseudomonas is a genus of Gram-negative rod-shaped Gammaproteobacteria. They belong to the family Pseudomonadaceae. Staphylococcus is a genus of Gram-positive spherical-shaped bacteria in the family of Staphylococcaceae. Thus, this is the key difference between Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus. Due to their different genome variations, they cause different diseases in human and other animals. Both genera include respiratory pathogens.
Reference:
1. Foster, Timothy. “Staphylococcus.” Medical Microbiology. 4th Edition., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1996, Available here.
2. “Pseudomonas.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Mar. 2021, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Scanning, electron micrograph, pseudomonas aeruginosa, bacteria” (CC0) via Pixino
2. “High, magnification, 10000x, strain, staphylococcus aureus, bacteria” (CC0) via Pixino