Poster Presentation Australian Society for Microbiology Annual Scientific Meeting 2014

Molecular characterization of Burkholderia pseudomallei from Malaysian Borneo (#416)

Yuwana Podin 1 2 , Erin Price 1 , Derek Sarovich 1 , Vanessa Theobald 1 , Mark Mayo 1 , Mirjam Kaestli 1 , Apichai Tuanyok 3 , Paul Keim 3 , Phil Giffard 1 , Bart Currie 1
  1. Menzies School of Health Research, Casuarina, Northern Territory, Australia
  2. Institute of Health and Community Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
  3. Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Melioidosis is a potentially fatal disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is endemic in northern Australia and Southeast Asia including Malaysian Borneo1. The main aim of this study is to elucidate the molecular epidemiology of B. pseudomallei from Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. In order to compare with other B. pseudomallei isolates found elsewhere, previously published molecular characterization methods were used. A total of 68 B. pseudomallei clinical isolates were collected from hospitals in the region and subjected to multilocus sequence typing (MLST)2. The isolates were also interrogated using an allelic real-time PCR assay which determines whether strains possess the B. thailandensis-like flagellum and chemotaxis biosynthesis (BTFC) gene cluster or the Yersinia-like fimbrial (YLF) gene cluster, which are useful markers for determining the geographical origin of B. pseudomallei strains3.  Isolates were also interrogated using the bimABm/bimABp allelic real-time PCR assay which discriminates the two alleles of actin-based motility gene bimA, B. mallei-like BimA (bimABm) andB. pseudomallei BimA (bimABp) reportedly associated with virulence factors4. Strains were also subjected to Multilocus Variable Number Tandem Repeats Analysis (MLVA)-4 which is useful in determining whether strains are clonal5. Selected isolates were further subjected to whole genome sequencing. Findings from this study provided insights into the molecular epidemiology and the biogeography of B. pseudomallei from Malaysian Borneo in comparison with those found elsewhere.
  1. Wiersinga WJ, Currie BJ, Peacock SJ. 2012. Melioidosis. N. Engl. J. Med. 367(11): 1035-1044.
  2. Godoy D, Randle G, Simpson AJ, Aannensen DM, Pitt TL, Kinoshita R, Spratt BG. 2003. Multilocus sequence typing and evolutionary relationships among the causative agents of melioidosis and glanders, Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei. J. Clin. Microbiol., 41(10):2068-2079.
  3. Tuanyok A, Auerbach RK, Brettin TS, Bruce DC, Munk AC, Detter JC, Pearson T, Hornstra H, Sermswan RW, Wuthiekanun V, Peacock SJ, Currie BJ, Keim P, Wagner D. 2007. A horizontal gene transfer event defines two distinct groups within Burkholderia pseudomallei that have dissimilar geographic distributions. J. Bacteriol. 189(24): 9044-9049.
  4. Sitthidet C, Stevens JM, Chantratita N, Currie BJ, Peacock SJ, Korbsrisate S, Stevens MP. 2008. Prevalence and sequence diversity of a factor required for actin-based motility in natural populations of Burkholderia species. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46(7):2418-2422.
  5. Currie BJ, Haslem A, Pearson T, Hornstra H, Leader B, Mayo M, Gal D, ward L, Godoy D, Spratt BG, Keim P. 2009. Identification of melioidosis outbreak by multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 15(2): 169-174.