Diversity and epidemiological profile of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from drinking water in Brazil genotyped using multi-locus sequence typing.

This article focuses on the association of particular sequence types (STs) of *Pseudomonas aeruginosa*, a Gram-negative bacterium linked to waterborne diseases, with contamination of bottled drinking water in Brazil. Using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) data from the PubMLST database, the study identified several STs isolated from Brazilian bottled water, some of which have been previously associated with clinical infections worldwide or grouped in clonal complexes containing strains involved in human infections. Despite regulatory standards in Brazil requiring the absence of *P. aeruginosa* in bottled water, multiple studies report its presence in commercial bottled water, indicating ongoing contamination risks. The findings suggest that bottled water can serve as a vehicle for *P. aeruginosa* transmission, highlighting the need for enhanced genotyping surveillance and regulatory measures to prevent potential outbreaks.