Association of the Melioidosis Agent
            <i>Burkholderia pseudomallei</i>
            with Water Parameters in Rural Water Supplies in Northern Australia

Draper, Anthony; Mayo, Mark; Harrington, Glenda; Karp, Danuta; Yinfoo, Des; Ward, Linda; Haslem, Asha; Currie, Bart J.; Kaestli, Mirjam

doi:10.1128/aem.00287-10

Cited by 40 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Despite the small quantity of water flowing from individual seeps, collective flow into common tributaries can result in large volumes of groundwater carrying high numbers of viable B. pseudomallei organisms. While prior research has confirmed that man-made water bores represent a reservoir for B. pseudomallei (7,9,15), this study has demonstrated B. pseudomallei in natural groundwater seeps.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Groundwater Seeps Facilitate Exposure to Burkholderia pseudomallei

Baker

Tahani

Gardiner

et al. 2011

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Burkholderia pseudomallei is a saprophytic bacterium which is the causative agent of melioidosis, a common cause of fatal bacterial pneumonia and sepsis in the tropics. The incidence of melioidosis is clustered spatially and temporally and is heavily linked to rainfall and extreme weather events. Clinical case clustering has recently been reported in Townsville, Australia, and has implicated Castle Hill, a granite monolith in the city center, as a potential reservoir of infection. Topsoil and water from seasonal groundwater seeps were collected around the base of Castle Hill and analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR targeting the type III secretion system genes for the presence of B. pseudomallei. The organism was identified in 65% (95% confidence interval [CI], 49.5 to 80.4) of soil samples (n ‫؍‬ 40) and 92.5% (95% CI, 83.9 to 100) of seasonal groundwater samples (n ‫؍‬ 40). Further sampling of water collected from roads and gutters in nearby residential areas after an intense rainfall event found that 88.2% (95% CI, 72.9 to 100) of samples (n ‫؍‬ 16) contained viable B. pseudomallei at concentrations up to 113 CFU/ml. Comparison of isolates using multilocus sequence typing demonstrated clinical matches and close associations between environmental isolates and isolates derived from clinical samples from patients in Townsville. This study demonstrated that waterborne B. pseudomallei from groundwater seeps around Castle Hill may facilitate exposure to B. pseudomallei and contribute to the clinical clustering at this site. Access to this type of information will advise the development and implementation of public health measures to reduce the incidence of melioidosis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Groundwater Seeps Facilitate Exposure to Burkholderia pseudomallei

Baker

Tahani

Gardiner

et al. 2011

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…Subsequent studies in the Northern Territory found B. pseudomallei in some water supplies and indicate that water quality indicators may predict its presence. 13,14 Another observation from the initial outbreak investigation that was followed during the 3-year environmental surveillance project was a possible association between B. pseudomallei and the rhizosphere of indigenous plants such as Acacia colei . B. pseudomallei was isolated from the rhizosphere of A. colei at the outbreak location but was not isolated from Acacia rhizosphere samples in subsequent environmental sampling elsewhere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Aftermath of the Western Australian Melioidosis Outbreak

Inglis¹,

O'Reilly²,

Merritt³

et al. 2011

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Melioidosis became a notifiable disease in Western Australia (WA) 2 years after the West Kimberley melioidosis outbreak. Two cases of melioidosis caused by the outbreak genotype of Burkholderia pseudomallei (National Collection of Type Cultures [NCTC] 13177) occurred in 1998 and 1999 in persons who visited the outbreak location at the time. No other infections caused by the outbreak strain have been recorded in WA since that time, despite an average of four culture-positive cases per year. Sporadic cases of melioidosis often follow tropical storms and cyclones during summer, and they have been detected outside the endemic area when cyclones travel far inland. In 2007, environmental isolates resembling NCTC 13177 were found 500 km east of the outbreak location after unusually severe weather. Recent whole-genome analysis places NCTC 13177 genetically close to other Australian isolates. Additional biogeographic and ecological studies are needed to establish the relative importance of environmental cofactors in disease pathogenesis.

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“…9 Nevertheless, irrigation of 17 we detected B. pseudomallei at 7 (70%) of 10 sports fields. This prevalence was higher than our previous finding of 27% (38 of 141) B. pseudomallei positive sites (environmentally disturbed and undisturbed sites) in the 2006 dry season (P = 0.008, by two-tailed Fisher's exact test), and with 16% (16 of 100) positive sports field soil samples overall, the prevalence was similar to the prevalence we found in soil samples from irrigated gardens (17%, 11 of 65).…”

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confidence: 99%

Melioidosis as a Consequence of Sporting Activity

Hill

Mayo²,

Kaestli

et al. 2013

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. In the tropical city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, dry season soil sampling cultured Burkholderia pseudomallei from 7 (70%) of 10 sports fields. However, during the 23 years of the Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study, only 5 (0.6%) of 785 melioidosis cases have been attributed to infection from sports fields. In one soccer player with cutaneous melioidosis, B. pseudomallei cultured from the player was identical by multilocus sequence typing and multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis with an isolate recovered from soil at the location on the sports field where he was injured. Melioidosis is uncommon in otherwise healthy sports persons in melioidosis-endemic regions but still needs consideration in persons with abrasion injuries that involve contact with soil.

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Association of the Melioidosis Agent Burkholderia pseudomallei with Water Parameters in Rural Water Supplies in Northern Australia

Cited by 40 publications

References 17 publications

Groundwater Seeps Facilitate Exposure to Burkholderia pseudomallei

Groundwater Seeps Facilitate Exposure to Burkholderia pseudomallei

The Aftermath of the Western Australian Melioidosis Outbreak

Melioidosis as a Consequence of Sporting Activity

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