Timothy J. J. Inglis

Environmental Factors That Affect the Survival and Persistence of Burkholderia pseudomallei

Burkholderia pseudomallei is listed by the Centers for Disease Control as a potential bioterrorism agent ([www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/agentlist.asp][1]) because it causes melioidosis in humans, a potentially fatal septicemic infection following soil or water exposure ([6][2], [41][3]). Melioidosis usually

Melioidosis, Northeastern Brazil

Melioidosis was first recognized in northeastern Brazil in 2003. Confirmation of additional cases from the 2003 cluster in Ceará, more recent cases in other districts, environmental isolation of Burkholderia pseudomallei, molecular confirmation and typing results, and positive serosurveillance specimens indicate that melioidosis is more widespread in northeastern Brazil than previously thought.

Invasion of Spores of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Gigaspora decipiens by Burkholderia spp.

ABSTRACT Burkholderia species are bacterial soil inhabitants that are capable of interacting with a variety of eukaryotes, in some cases occupying intracellular habitats. Pathogenic and nonpathogenic Burkholderia spp., including B. vietnamiensis, B. cepacia, and B. pseudomallei, were grown on germinating spores of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Gigaspora decipiens. Spore lysis assays revealed that all Burkholderia spp. tested were able to colonize the interior of G. decipiens spores. Amplification of specific DNA sequences and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the intracellular presence of B. vietnamiensis. Twelve percent of all spores were invaded by B. vietnamiensis, with an average of 1.5 × 106 CFU recovered from individual infected spores. Of those spores inoculated with B. pseudomallei, 7% were invaded, with an average of 5.5 × 105 CFU recovered from individual infected spores. Scanning electron and fluorescence microscopy provided insights into the morphology of surfaces of spores and hyphae of G. decipiens and the attachment of bacteria. Burkholderia spp. colonized both hyphae and spores, attaching to surfaces in either an end-on or side-on fashion. Adherence of Burkholderia spp. to eukaryotic surfaces also involved the formation of numerous fibrillar structures.

Molecular Epidemiology of Scedosporium apiospermum Infection Determined by PCR Amplification of Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Sequences in Patients with Chronic Lung Disease

ABSTRACT Respiratory tract colonization with Scedosporium apiospermum in patients with chronic suppurative lung disease is a significant concern for lung transplantation candidates, sinceScedosporium infections occurring posttransplantation are usually untreatable. Up to 10% of patients with cystic fibrosis attending our respiratory medicine unit have hadScedosporium organisms isolated from sputum samples. We therefore developed a molecular typing method to examine these isolates. Typing by PCR amplification of ribosomal intergenic spacer sequences demonstrated 20 different types from 52 isolates collected from the respiratory medicine unit and elsewhere in Australia. A single common type was isolated from 11 respiratory medicine unit inpatients. Two other types were isolated from more than one source: one from two respiratory medicine unit inpatients and one from two epidemiologically linked nonhuman sources. Multiple isolates were obtained from nine patients. This method demonstrated persistent carriage of isolates of the same type in one patient for 7 months. Two patients showed carriage of isolates with multiple typing patterns within a 3-month period. The high rate of isolation and the predominance of isolates with a single typing pattern from respiratory medicine unit patients may suggest transmission to patients from a source in the unit. There was no epidemiological evidence of direct patient-to-patient spread, andScedosporium organisms were not isolated from dust, soil, or air samples from the unit. The source and route of transmission have yet to be determined.

Comparison of Diagnostic Laboratory Methods for Identification of Burkholderia pseudomallei

ABSTRACT Limited experience and a lack of validated diagnostic reagents make Burkholderia pseudomallei, the cause of melioidosis, difficult to recognize in the diagnostic microbiology laboratory. We compared three methods of confirming the identity of presumptive B. pseudomallei strains using a collection of Burkholderia species drawn from diverse geographic, clinical, and environmental sources. The 95 isolates studied included 71 B. pseudomallei and 3 B. thailandensis isolates. The API 20NE method identified only 37% of the B. pseudomallei isolates. The agglutinating antibody test identified 82% at first the attempt and 90% including results of a repeat test with previously negative isolates. Gas-liquid chromatography analysis of bacterial fatty acid methyl esters (GLC-FAME) identified 98% of the B. pseudomallei isolates. The agglutination test produced four false positive results, one B. cepacia, one B. multivorans, and two B. thailandensis. API produced three false positive results, one positive B. cepacia and two positive B. thailandensis. GLC-FAME analysis was positive for one B. cepacia isolate. On the basis of these results, the most robust B. pseudomallei discovery pathway combines the previously recommended isolate screening tests (Gram stain, oxidase test, gentamicin and polymyxin susceptibility) with monoclonal antibody agglutination on primary culture, followed by a repeat after 24 h incubation on agglutination-negative isolates and GLC-FAME analysis. Incorporation of PCR-based identification within this schema may improve percentages of recognition further but requires more detailed evaluation.

Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Aeromonas Strains Isolated from Clinical and Environmental Sources to 26 Antimicrobial Agents

ABSTRACT We determined the susceptibilities of 144 clinical and 49 environmental Aeromonas strains representing 10 different species to 26 antimicrobial agents by the agar dilution method. No single species had a predominantly nonsusceptible phenotype. A multidrug nonsusceptible pattern was observed in three (2.1%) clinical strains and two (4.0%) strains recovered from diseased fish. Common clinical strains were more resistant than the corresponding environmental isolates, suggesting that resistance mechanisms may be acquired by environmental strains from clinical strains.

Novel Selective Medium for Isolation of Burkholderia pseudomallei

ABSTRACT Isolation of Burkholderia pseudomallei currently relies on the use of Ashdowns selective agar (ASA). We designed a new selective agar (Burkholderia pseudomallei selective agar [BPSA]) to improve recovery of the more easily inhibited strains of B. pseudomallei. B. pseudomallei, Burkholderia cepacia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used to determine the selectivity and sensitivity of BPSA. BPSA was more inhibitory to P. aeruginosa and B. cepacia and should make recognition of Burkholderia species easier due to distinctive colony morphology. BPSA also inhibited Enterococcus, Escherichia, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus. These results indicate that BPSA is a potential replacement for ASA.

Clinical guideline for diagnosis and management of melioidosis

Melioidosis is an emerging infection in Brazil and neighbouring South American countries. The wide range of clinical presentations include severe community-acquired pneumonia, septicaemia, central nervous system infection and less severe soft tissue infection. Diagnosis depends heavily on the clinical microbiology laboratory for culture. Burkholderia pseudomallei, the bacterial cause of melioidosis, is easily cultured from blood, sputum and other clinical samples. However, B. pseudomallei can be difficult to identify reliably, and can be confused with closely related bacteria, some of which may be dismissed as insignificant culture contaminants. Serological tests can help to support a diagnosis of melioidosis, but by themselves do not provide a definitive diagnosis. The use of a laboratory discovery pathway can help reduce the risk of missing atypical B. pseudomallei isolates. Recommended antibiotic treatment for severe infection is either intravenous Ceftazidime or Meropenem for several weeks, followed by up to 20 weeks oral treatment with a combination of trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole and doxycycline. Consistent use of diagnostic microbiology to confirm the diagnosis, and rigorous treatment of severe infection with the correct antibiotics in two stages; acute and eradication, will contribute to a reduction in mortality from melioidosis.

Aeromonas aquariorum is widely distributed in clinical and environmental specimens and can be misidentified as Aeromonas hydrophila

ABSTRACT Genotypic characterization of 215 Aeromonas strains (143 clinical, 52 environmental, and 20 reference strains) showed that Aeromonas aquariorum (60 strains, 30.4%) was the most frequently isolated species in clinical and water samples and could be misidentified as Aeromonas hydrophila by phenotypic methods.

The environmental microbiology of melioidosis

Melioidosis is an unusual bacterial infection. While on the one hand melioidosis can present as an acute, rapidly fatal septicaemia, the causative agent, Burkholderia pseudomallei, can also cause localised soft tissue infection or seroconversion without clinically evident infection. Distinctive epidemiological features of melioidosis include a high prevalence in southeast Asia and northern Australia, a predilection for those with prior co-morbidities such as diabetes mellitus, and an association with soil or surface water exposure. Melioidosis is also notable for primary infection or secondary recurrence after an interval of many years. The ability of B. pseudomallei to survive in soil or water for prolonged periods may explain the relevance of soil or water exposure to melioidosis. However, the means of transmission, de®nitive reservoir, principal means of exposure and mechanisms of pathogenesis have yet to be fully understood. Careful attention to the environmental microbiology of B. pseudomallei will provide important insights into the normal behaviour of this species and help to explain the environmental origins of melioidosis. # 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins