By creating mutations in the Burkholderia mallei ATCC 23344 animal pathogen-like type III secretion system (TTSS), this study analyzes the correlation between type III secretion and the pathogenicity of ATCC 23344 in vivo. Mutagenesis demonstrated that a functional TTSS was required for the full pathogenicity of ATCC 23344 in the BALB/c mouse and Syrian hamster models of infection. However, vac...

In 1911 Alfred Whitmore and C.S. Krishnaswami noticed that morphine addicts in Rangoon were afflicted by a lethal illness bearing a striking similarity to glanders!,2. Autopsy findings were characterized by widespread caseous consolidation of the lungs with abscesses in the liver, spleen, kidney and subcutaneous tissues. Glanders, an infection caused by Burkholderia mallei, is predominantly, a ...

BACKGROUND In this study, a Burkholderia mallei tonB mutant (TMM001) deficient in iron acquisition was constructed, characterized, and evaluated for its protective properties in acute inhalational infection models of murine glanders and melioidosis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Compared to the wild-type, TMM001 exhibits slower growth kinetics, siderophore hyper-secretion and the inability t...

Genetic research into the select agents Burkholderia pseudomallei and B. mallei is currently hampered by a paucity of approved antimicrobial drug-selection markers. The strict regulations imposed on researchers in the United States but not in other parts of the world lead to discrepancies in practice, hinder distribution of genetically modified strains, and impede progress in the field. Deliber...

A procedure for molecular identification of Burkholderia gladioli is described. Specific 16S and 23S rRNA gene signature sequences were defined as primers for PCR. The method allows rapid and specific discrimination of B. gladioli from related species (B. cepacia, B. multivorans, B. vietnamiensis, B. mallei, B. pseudomallei, Ralstonia pickettii, and R. eutropha) and should contribute to the cla...

Treatment with an oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) containing CPG motifs (CpG ODN 7909) was found to protect BALB/c mice from lung infection or death after aerosol challenge with Burkholderia mallei. Protection was associated with enhanced levels of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma)-inducible protein 10, interleukin-12 (IL-12), IFN-gamma, and IL-6. Preexposure therapy with CpG ODNs may protect victims of ...

Burkholderia mallei, the aetiologic agent of glanders, causes a variety of illnesses in animals and humans ranging from occult infections to acute fulminating septicaemias. To better understand the role of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the pathogenesis of these diseases, studies were initiated to characterize the structural and biological properties of lipid A moieties expressed by this organism....