Abstract
Burkholderia ubonensis is an environmental bacterium belonging to the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), a group of genetically related organisms that are associated with opportunistic but generally nonfatal infections in healthy individuals. In contrast, the near-neighbour species Burkholderia pseudomallei causes melioidosis, a disease that can be fatal in up to 95% of cases if left untreated. B. ubonensis is frequently misidentified as B. pseudomallei from soil samples using selective culturing on Ashdown’s medium, reflecting both the shared environmental niche and morphological similarities of these species. Additionally, B. ubonensis shows potential as an important biocontrol agent in B. pseudomallei-endemic regions as certain strains possess antagonistic properties towards B. pseudomallei. Current methods for characterising B. ubonensis are laborious, time-consuming and costly, and as such this bacterium remains poorly studied. The aim of our study was to develop a rapid and inexpensive real-time PCR-based assay specific for B. ubonensis. We demonstrate that a novel B. ubonensis-specific assay, Bu550, accurately differentiates B. ubonensis from B. pseudomallei and other species that grow on selective Ashdown’s agar. We anticipate that Bu550 will catalyse research on B. ubonensis by enabling rapid identification of this organism from Ashdown’s-positive colonies that are not B. pseudomallei.
Highlights
IntroductionThe Gram-negative Burkholderia spp. comprise an ecologically diverse group containing over 70 species (http://www.bacterio. cict.fr/b/burkholderia.html), some of which are pathogenic to humans, animals or plants [1,2]
The Gram-negative Burkholderia spp. comprise an ecologically diverse group containing over 70 species, some of which are pathogenic to humans, animals or plants [1,2]
The isolates examined in our study contain a cross-section of isolates that grow on Ashdown’s agar (ASA) but are type III secretion system 1 (TTS1)-negative [19], and are not B. pseudomallei
Summary
The Gram-negative Burkholderia spp. comprise an ecologically diverse group containing over 70 species (http://www.bacterio. cict.fr/b/burkholderia.html), some of which are pathogenic to humans, animals or plants [1,2]. B. pseudomallei was recently added as a Tier 1 Select Agent in the United States, a category that includes those organisms of greatest threat to human and animal health. Several other soil-dwelling Burkholderia spp. reside in ecological niches where B. pseudomallei is present, and some of these species can cause opportunistic, albeit less serious, infections in humans. Many of these species fall into the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), which contains at least 17 Burkholderia species, including Burkholderia ubonensis [7]
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