Doctors diagnose Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections by taking a sample of blood or other body fluids and sending it to a laboratory to grow (culture) and identify the bacteria. Tests to determine which antibiotics are likely to be effective ( susceptibility tests.
Pseudomonas infections are treated with antibiotics. Unfortunately, many pseudomonas infections are becoming more difficult to treat. These bacteria have developed the ability to adapt and overcome antibiotics in their environment. This is called antibiotic resistance.
The increase in antibiotic resistance has made treating infections much more challenging. Pseudomonas infectionscan often develop resistance to multiple types of antibiotics. It can even sometimes develop resistance during the course of treatment.
It is important that your doctor selects an effective antibiotic. A doctor may send a specimen from a patient to a laboratory first for testing in order to be more certain. The laboratory will test the specimen to determine which antibiotic will work best.
Treatment may involve one or more of the following types of antibiotics:
ceftazidime
ciprofloxacin (Cipro) or levofloxacin
gentamicin
cefepime
aztreonam
carbapenems
ticarcillin
ureidopenicillins
