Melioidosis: A Major Cause of Community-Acquired Septicemia in Northeastern Thailand

Chaowagul, Wipada; White, Nicholas J.; Dance, David A. B.; Wattanagoon, Yupaporn; Naigowit, Pimjai; Davis, Timothy; Looareesuwan, Sornchai; Pitakwatchara, Nirun

doi:10.1093/infdis/159.5.890

Cited by 483 publications

(408 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The majority of infections are reported from east Asia and northern Australia, the highest documented rate being in northeastern Thailand, where melioidosis accounts for 20% of all community-acquired septicaemias (4). Disease occurs after bacterial contamination of breaks in the skin or by inhalation after contact with water or soil.…”

Section: Elioidosis Is a Bacterial Infection Caused By Burkholderiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic plasticity of the causative agent of melioidosis, Burkholderia pseudomallei

Holden

Titball

Peacock

et al. 2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

686

690

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Burkholderia pseudomallei is a recognized biothreat agent and the causative agent of melioidosis. This Gram-negative bacterium exists as a soil saprophyte in melioidosis-endemic areas of the world and accounts for 20% of community-acquired septicaemias in northeastern Thailand where half of those affected die. Here we report the complete genome of B. pseudomallei, which is composed of two chromosomes of 4.07 megabase pairs and 3.17 megabase pairs, showing significant functional partitioning of genes between them. The large chromosome encodes many of the core functions associated with central metabolism and cell growth, whereas the small chromosome carries more accessory functions associated with adaptation and survival in different niches. Genomic comparisons with closely and more distantly related bacteria revealed a greater level of gene order conservation and a greater number of orthologous genes on the large chromosome, suggesting that the two replicons have distinct evolutionary origins. A striking feature of the genome was the presence of 16 genomic islands (GIs) that together made up 6.1% of the genome. Further analysis revealed these islands to be variably present in a collection of invasive and soil isolates but entirely absent from the clonally related organism B. mallei. We propose that variable horizontal gene acquisition by B. pseudomallei is an important feature of recent genetic evolution and that this has resulted in a genetically diverse pathogenic species.

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Section: Elioidosis Is a Bacterial Infection Caused By Burkholderiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Genomic plasticity of the causative agent of melioidosis, Burkholderia pseudomallei

Holden

Titball

Peacock

et al. 2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

686

690

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“…1 In northeast Thailand and the top end of the Northern Territory of Australia melioidosis is hyperendemic, being the commonest cause of fatal bacteremic pneumonia and septicemia during the monsoonal wet season. 2,3 The organism is a soil saprophyte and can be cultured from soil and surface water in endemic regions, with postulated routes of infection being via contamination of broken skin, aspiration, inhalation of aerosolised bacteria, and possibly ingestion and sexual transmission. 4 Understanding of the epidemiology of melioidosis has been improved by the development of molecular typing methods for B. pseudomallei, beginning with ribotyping, 5 followed by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis 6 and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of restriction enzyme digested total chromosomal DNA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cluster of melioidosis cases from an endemic region is clonal and is linked to the water supply using molecular typing of Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates.

Currie

Mayo²,

Anstey³

et al. 2001

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

129

115

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Abstract. Nine cases of melioidosis with four deaths occurred over a 28-month period in members of a small remote Aboriginal community in the top end of the Northern Territory of Australia. Typing by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei from six of the cases to be clonal and also identical to an isolate from the community water supply, but not to soil isolates. The clonality of the isolates found in this cluster contrasts with the marked genetic diversity of human and environmental isolates found in this region which is hyperendemic for B. pseudomallei. It is possible that the clonal bacteria persisted and were propagated in biofilm in the water supply system. While the exact mode of transmission to humans and the reasons for cessation of the outbreak remain uncertain, contamination of the unchlorinated community water supply is a likely explanation.

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“…The bacterium is a soil saprophyte and the causative agent of melioidosis, a disease endemic to Southeast Asia and northern Australia. In Thailand, the bacterium is an important cause of community-acquired septicemia and accounts for 39% of deaths due to community-acquired septicemia in the Ubon Ratchatani province (7). Human infection is thought to initiate by the inhalation or inoculation of cuts and abrasions with contaminated soil particles (43).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Signature-Tagged Mutagenesis in Burkholderia pseudomallei To Identify Genes Important in Survival and Pathogenesis

et al. 2007

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Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is an important human pathogen in Southeast Asia and northern Australia for which a vaccine is unavailable. A panel of 892 double signature-tagged mutants was screened for virulence using an intranasal BALB/c mouse model of infection. A novel DNA tag microarray identified 33 mutants as being attenuated in spleens, while 6 were attenuated in both lungs and spleens. The transposon insertion sites in spleen-attenuated mutants revealed genes involved in several stages of capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis and DNA replication and repair, a putative oxidoreductase, ABC transporters, and a lipoprotein that may be important in intercellular spreading. The six mutants identified as missing in both lungs and spleens were found to have insertions in recA involved in the SOS response and DNA repair; putative auxotrophs of leucine, threonine, p-aminobenzoic acid, and a mutant with an insertion in aroB causing auxotrophy for aromatic compounds were also found. Murine challenge studies revealed partial protection in BALB/c mice vaccinated with the aroB mutant. The refined signature-tagged mutagenesis approach developed in this study was used to efficiently identify attenuating mutants from this highly pathogenic species and could be applied to other organisms.

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Melioidosis: A Major Cause of Community-Acquired Septicemia in Northeastern Thailand

Cited by 483 publications

References 27 publications

Genomic plasticity of the causative agent of melioidosis, Burkholderia pseudomallei

Genomic plasticity of the causative agent of melioidosis, Burkholderia pseudomallei

A cluster of melioidosis cases from an endemic region is clonal and is linked to the water supply using molecular typing of Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates.

Development of Signature-Tagged Mutagenesis in Burkholderia pseudomallei To Identify Genes Important in Survival and Pathogenesis

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