Rhizospheric and endophytic Pseudomonas aeruginosa in edible vegetable plants share molecular and metabolic traits with clinical isolates

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a leading opportunistic pathogen causing hospital-acquired infections is predominantly present in agricultural settings. There are minimal attempts to examine the molecular and functional attributes shared by agricultural and clinical strains of P. aeruginosa. This study aims to investigate the presence of P. aeruginosa in edible vegetable plants (including salad vegetables) and analyze the evolutionary and metabolic relatedness of the agricultural and clinical strains. Eighteen rhizospheric and endophytic P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from cucumber, tomato, eggplant, and chili directly from the farms. The identity of these strains was confirmed using biochemical, and molecular markers and their genetic and metabolic traits were compared with clinical isolates. DNA fingerprinting analyses and 16S rDNA-based phylogenetic tree revealed that the plant- and human-associated strains are evolutionarily related. Both agricultural and clinical isolates possessed plant-beneficial properties, including mineral solubilization (phosphorous, potassium, and zinc), ammonification, and the ability to release extracellular siderophore and indole-3 acetic acid. These findings suggest that rhizospheric and endophytic P. aeruginosa strains are genetically and functionally analogous to the clinical isolates. This study highlights the edible plants as a potential source for human and animal transmission of P. aeruginosa.