P

seudomonas eruginosa is a leading cause ofnosocomial infections, ranking second among the gram-negative pathogens reported to National Nosocomial Infectious Surveillance (NNIS) system from January 1995 to March 1996.1 Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the third most common pathogen among bloodstream isolates in the most recent SENTRY study.2 In the European Prevalence of Infection in intensive care (EPIC) study, P. aeruginosa was the predominant gram-negative species isolated from bronchopulmonary infection sites of patient hospitalized in 1417 intensive care units (ICUS) of 17 Western-European countries.3 Pseudomonas aeruginosa commonly cause