Answer Happy

Course Objective: "Explain ways that bacterial metabolism interacts with human health." The microbe Pseudomonas aeruginosa can respire aerobically or anaerobically by using nitrate (NO3-) as the final non-oxygen electron acceptor. It is the most common opportunistic pathogen infecting the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. It grows in the soil, and it is also the most common nosocomial opportunistic pathogen isolated from patients who have been hospitalized longer than one week. I have isolated it from numerous surfaces in the past, including drinking fountains. The Questions for you to answer and discuss are: In which habitat (the lungs or the soil) would P. aeruginosa respire aerobically or with nitrate? What part of its electron transport system would it need to change?