ATR-FTIR spectroscopic investigation of imipenem-susceptible and -resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isogenic strains.

The primary mechanism of imipenem resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been ascribed to an outer membrane impermeability owing to a loss of expression of protein D2. Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in conjunction with statistical methods has been used as a new approach to rapidly discriminate four isogenic strains of P. aeruginosa--susceptible, less susceptible, and highly resistant to imipenem-- and to follow the structural modifications related to this low permeability. Decomposition of the broad protein and carbohydrate contours into underlying Gaussians and comparison of the susceptible and highly resistant strain provided quantitative and ultrastructural information on these strains. This methodology allows for discrimination not of the mutation itself but of its consequences observed in the protein and carbohydrate absorption regions. Its association with other existing biochemical methods may be envisaged since it may allow for rapid orientation of investigations in the field of bacterial resistance diagnosis.