Bacterium
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Oxidase-positive nonfermenting rod
soo-doh-MOH-nas air-oo-jih-NOH-suh
High-yield clue
Oxidase-positive nonfermenting Gram-negative rod is the anchor clue.
Overview
A Gram-negative rod used to teach oxidase positivity, nonfermenting metabolism, pigment vocabulary, biofilms, and opportunistic infection concepts.
Classification
- Gram-negative
- Rod
- Nonfermenter
- Aerobe
Lab & identification clues
- Oxidase positive
- Non-lactose fermenter
- Blue-green pigment vocabulary
- Sensory observations are intentionally excluded
Associations
- Biofilm concepts
- Water/environmental reservoir vocabulary
- Burn/wound educational cases
- Resistance concepts
Commonly confused with
- Enteric Gram-negative rods
- Acinetobacter species
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.