Presence of the exoU gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is correlated with cytotoxicity in MDCK cells but not with colonization in BALB/c mice

A total of 141 independent strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with different heterogeneities in the exo gene ( exoS , exoT , exoU , and exoY ) background were examined for their pathogenic roles. Results indicated that the exoU gene is the major contributor to cytotoxicity in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells but is not related to bacterial colonization in mice.