Identification of Burkholderia thailandensis with novel genotypes in the soil of central Sierra Leone.

Emma Birnie,W. Joost Wiersinga,Yembeh Mansaray,Anne Bijnsdorp,Erdi Huizenga,Floor Hugenholtz,Martin P. Grobusch,Senne van ’t Hof,Arie van der Ende,Alfredo G Torres

doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0007402

Abstract

BackgroundThe soil-dwelling bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei is the etiological-agent of the neglected and life-threatening emerging infection melioidosis. The distribution of B. pseudomallei in West Africa is unknown. In the present study we aimed to determine whether B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis are present in the environment of central Sierra Leone.Methodology/Principal findingsIn June-July 2017, we conducted an environmental surveillance study–designed in accordance with existing consensus guidelines—in central Sierra Leone. A total of 1,000 soil samples (100 per site) were collected and cultured. B. pseudomallei was not identified in the soil, but we identified seven novel B. thailandensis sequence types with multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses.Conclusions/SignificanceThe presence of B. pseudomallei was not demonstrated, however, multiple novel B. thailandensis sequence types were identified. More environmental and sequencing studies are needed to further understand the genetic diversity, evolution and virulence of these emerging organisms.

Highlights

The Gram-negative environmental bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is the etiological agent of melioidosis, an emerging but neglected infectious disease
The environmental bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is the cause of melioidosis, an often-fatal but neglected infection prevalent across tropical areas
B. thailandensis is a member of the B. pseudomallei complex, rarely causes disease in humans and is considered a-virulent

Summary

Introduction

The Gram-negative environmental bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is the etiological agent of melioidosis, an emerging but neglected infectious disease. Infection with B. pseudomallei primarily occurs in people who are in regular contact with soil and water [1,2]. B. thailandensis is a member of the B. pseudomallei complex, is considered avirulent [3,4] and rarely causes disease in humans [5,6,7,8,9,10]. Knowledge about the global distribution of B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis, is limited. The soil-dwelling bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei is the etiological-agent of the neglected and life-threatening emerging infection melioidosis. In the present study we aimed to determine whether B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis are present in the environment of central Sierra Leone

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion