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Tropical dermatology: bacterial tropical diseases.

UNLABELLED: Bacterial infections are common in tropical parts of the world and can include those species also seen regularly in temperate climates. Many tropical bacterial infections, however, are rarely diagnosed in temperate parts of the world and include bartonellosis, tropical ulcer, tropical pyomyositis, granuloma inguinale, lymphogranuloma venereum, yaws, pinta, melioidosis, and glanders. Some tropical bacterial diseases, eg, plague and anthrax, are associated with high mortality rates and are of potential use in bioterrorism. Some tropical bacterial diseases are closely associated with specific activities such as hunting (ie, tularemia) or eating raw seafood (Vibrio vulnificus infection). The bacterial diseases having the most severe medical impact in the tropics are those caused by members of the Mycobacterium genus. Millions of persons throughout the world suffer from tuberculosis and leprosy; Buruli ulcers are common causes of morbidity in many tropical countries. Because of the increasing frequency of travel to tropical parts of the world for tourism and work as well as the increasing number of immigrants and adoptees from these areas, it is imperative that physicians practicing in temperate climates be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of tropical bacterial diseases, carry out the proper diagnostic tests, and initiate appropriate therapy and prevention. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: At the completion of this learning activity, participants should be familiar with the clinical presentations, epidemiologies, diagnoses, therapies, and preventions of bacterial tropical diseases.

Bacterial Infections↗

PCR-RFLP based differentiation of Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei manifest a high similarity with regard to clinical syndromes, glanders and melioidosis. Phenotypic and genotypic characters are also highly similar. In an attempt to differentiate the two organisms, the molecular method was applied. This study aimed to identify the different DNA fragment in B. mallei, as compared with B. pseudomallei. The Sau3AI-digested genomic DNA patterns of B. mallei and B. pseudomallei are distinctive, especially the DNA fragments between 0.9-1.5 Kb in size. A 900-bp specific DNA fragment of B. mallei was cloned and sequenced. Using the specific DNA fragment as a probe, Southern blot hybridization was performed to differentiate the two species. The results of hybridization patterns are effective in to elucidating the genetic dissimilarities among these two Burkholderia species. Furthermore, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) digested with Sau3AI was developed to allow a more reliable and rapid identification of the two species. A 650-bp PCR-RFLP product of B. mallei was detected, while two fragments of 250 and 400-bp PCR-RFLP products of B. pseudomallei were visualized. The results suggest that the specific DNA fragment in our study should be of considerable use as a genetic marker for ensuring identification of the two species.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

Comparative proteomic profiles and the potential markers between Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia thailandensis.

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a bacterial pathogen causing the melioidosis disease, which is predominantly found in tropical areas of Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Burkholderia thailandensis is a closely related species to B. pseudomallei but it is non-pathogenic species. In this study, we have constructed a proteome reference map of B. pseudomallei at the stationary phase of growth by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis with a pH 4-7 immobilized pH gradient combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. Approximately 550 spots could be detected by Coomassie brilliant blue G-250 staining, and 88 spots representing 77 unique proteins were identified. Eleven of the gene products were found in multiple spots indicating as isoforms. In attempt to detect distinctive expressed proteins between a virulent and a non-virulent species, the use of comparative proteomic profiles under the same condition were performed. We could identify more than 20 different spots. Twelve out of 14 spots are detected in B. pseudomallei and six proteins have been identified and indicated that they are involved in virulent characters of bacteria. Two hypothetical proteins were expressed and found only in B. pseudomallei. These proteins are potential markers to distinguish between these two species. Our study also provides a useful information of global intracellular protein expression and is a valuable starting point for analyzing a proteomic pathogenicity of the bacterial pathogen.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Virulent Burkholderia pseudomallei is more efficient than avirulent Burkholderia thailandensis in invasion of and adherence to cultured human epithelial cells.

Burkholderia pseudomallei, a causative agent of melioidosis, is a facultative intracellular gram-negative bacillus that is closely related to its avirulent counterpart, Burkholderia thailandensis. However, pathogenic mechanisms and virulence factors of B. pseudomallei remain elusive. In the present study, we compared the invasiveness, adherence, and replication of B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis in human respiratory epithelial cells A549. Invasion was determined after 4 h of coculturing using antibiotic protection assay. Adherence was demonstrated by coculturing the cells with fluorescein-labeled bacteria for 1 h and the number of positive cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. The results obtained with this in vitro study demonstrated that compared with its avirulent counterpart, B. pseudomallei is significantly more efficient (P<0.01) in invasion, adherence and inducing cellular damage, as represented by plaque formation.

Bacterial Adhesion↗

Burkholderia pseudomallei RpoS regulates multinucleated giant cell formation and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in mouse macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7).

Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis. This bacterium can invade and survive inside the phagocytic and nonphagocytic cells. After internalization, the bacteria can escape from the membrane-bound phagosome into the cytoplasm. Internalised B. pseudomallei can also induce a cell-to-cell fusion, resulting in a multinucleated giant cell (MNGC) formation. In the present study, we demonstrated that B. pseudomallei rpoS null mutant was similar to its wild type parent in its ability to survive and multiply inside the mouse macrophages, but it failed to stimulate MNGC formation. The rpoS mutant was also unable to activate inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) in resting mouse macrophages but in gamma interferon (IFN-gamma)-activated macrophages, the mutant was able to induce significantly higher levels of iNOS and NO when compared with its wild-type counterpart, resulting in a significantly lower number of bacteria inside the infected host cells.

Animals↗

Genome-wide comparison reveals great inter- and intraspecies variability in B. pseudomallei and B. mallei pathogens.

Burkholderia mallei and B. pseudomallei, closely related Gram-negative bacteria, are causative agents of serious infectious diseases of humans and animals: glanders and melioidosis, respectively. Despite numerous studies of these pathogens, the detailed mechanism of their pathogenesis is still unknown. The problem is even more complicated due to natural variability of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei strains, the understanding of which is a prerequisite for rational design of tools for diagnostics, prophylaxis and therapy of the diseases. Using a subtractive hybridization technique, we compared the genomes of B. pseudomallei C-141 and B. mallei C-5 strains. A subtracted library of DNA fragments specific for B. pseudomallei C-141 and absent from B. mallei C-5 was obtained and analyzed. A variety of differences have been detected and mapped on the recently sequenced genome of B. pseudomallei K96243. A comparative sequence analysis also revealed considerable genomic differences between B. pseudomallei C-141 and B. mallei ATCC 23344 strains sequenced at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). We also observed significant genomic differences between B. pseudomallei C-141 and B. pseudomallei K96243. Some of the differential DNA fragments displayed similarity to different mobile elements which have not yet been described for B. pseudomallei, whereas the others matched various prophage components, components of active transport systems, different enzymes and transcription regulators. A substantial proportion of the differential clones had no database matches either at the nucleotide or protein level. The results provide evidence for great genome-wide variability of B. pseudomallei, further confirmed by Southern blot analysis of various B. pseudomallei strains. The data obtained can be useful for future development of efficient diagnostic tools allowing rapid identification of species, strains and isolates of B. mallei and B. pseudomallei.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

Genome-wide identification and mapping of variable sequences in the genomes of Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei, closely related Gram-negative bacteria, are the causative agents of such serious infectious diseases of humans and animals as glanders and melioidosis, respectively. Despite numerous studies of these pathogens, the detailed mechanisms of their pathogenesis is still poorly understood. One of the serious obstacles to revealing factors responsible for pathogenicity lies in the considerable natural variability of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei, which is also a challenge to development of rapid and efficient diagnostic tools facilitating unambiguous identification of the infectious agents. To gain a deeper insight into B. mallei and B. pseudomallei interspecies divergence and intraspecies polymorphism, we compared the genomes of B. mallei C-5 and B. pseudomallei C-141 strains using a subtractive hybridization technique. A library of DNA fragments specific for B. mallei C-5 and absent from B. pseudomallei C-141 was obtained and analyzed. Some of the differential sequences detected were also not found in the recently sequenced genome of B. pseudomallei K96243. However, a multitude of B. mallei C-5 sequences absent from the B. pseudomallei C-141 genome were detected in the genome of B. pseudomallei K96243. On the other hand, some sequences identified as constituents of the B. mallei C-5 genome were not found in the genome of B. mallei ATCC 23344. Some of the differential DNA fragments displayed similarity to different mobile elements that have not yet been described for B. mallei, whereas the others matched fragments of various prophages, or, when translated into protein sequences, components of active transport systems and different enzymes. A substantial proportion of the differential clones had no database matches either at the nucleotide or amino acid sequence level. The results suggest great genome-wide intra- and interspecies variability of B. mallei and B. pseudomallei. The differences identified may be useful as molecular signatures for identification of B. mallei strains.

Animals↗

Genomic fingerprinting of Burkholderia pseudomallei and B. mallei pathogens with DNA array based on interspecies sequence differences obtained by subtractive hybridization.

The ability to rapidly and efficiently identify causative agents of dangerous human and animal diseases is a prerequisite to diagnosis, prophylaxis and therapy. Such identification systems can be developed based on DNA markers enabling differentiation between various bacterial strains. One source of these markers is genetic polymorphism. An efficient method for detecting the most stable polymorphisms without knowledge of genomic sequences is subtractive hybridization. In this work we report an approach to typing of Burkholderia pseudomallei and B. mallei that cause melioidosis and glanders, respectively. Typing is based on hybridization of bacterial genomes with a DNA array of genomic markers obtained using subtractive hybridization. The array comprised 55 DNA fragments which distinguished the genomes of B. pseudomallei C-141 and B. mallei C-5 strains, and it was used to test 28 radioactively labeled B. pseudomallei strains and 8 B. mallei strains. Each strain was characterized by a specific hybridization pattern, and the results were analyzed using cluster analysis. 18 patterns specific to B. pseudomallei and 6 patterns specific to B. mallei were found to be unique. The data allowed us to differentiate most studied B. pseudomallei variants from one another and from B. mallei strains. It was concluded that DNA markers obtained by subtractive hybridization can be potentially useful for molecular typing of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei strains, as well as for their molecular diagnosis. The method reported can be easily adapted for use both with DNA arrays and DNA microarrays with fluorescent probes.

Animals↗

Immunogenicity and anti-Burkholderia pseudomallei activity in Balb/c mice immunized with plasmid DNA encoding flagellin.

Plasmid DNA encoding the flagella protein (flagellin) was used as a vaccination candidate for the evaluation of its immunogenicity and for protection against infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei. Firstly, flagellin encoding plasmid DNA was injected into Balb/c mice intramuscularly and this elicited both a humoral and a cellular immune response. Total IgG production and the clonal expansion of the spleen cells increased in response to flagellin. The IgG subclass response exhibited a dominance of IgG2a over IgG1 in the sera. In addition, IFN-gamma-secreting cells in the spleen were substantially increased. Furthermore, the anti-B. pseudomallei activity of the peritoneal exudate cells was evaluated by a Transwell tissue-culture plate system where the macrophage-activating related cytokines in upper chamber were allowed to cross the plate's membrane and stimulate the activation of peritoneal exudate cells in lower chamber. Our results indicated that the activated peritoneal exudate cells were able to restrict the growth of B. pseudomallei in vitro. Indeed, subsequent intravenous challenge of the vaccinated Balb/c mice with 10(5)CFU of B. pseudomallei resulted in the number of bacterial cells detected in liver and/or spleen being significantly reduced in the flagellin plasmid DNA vaccinated mice. At 7 days subsequent to infection of B. pseudomallei, 5/6 (83%) of flagellin plasmid DNA vaccinated mice had survived. We suggest that plasmid DNA-encoding flagellin might be useful as a potential immunization route for the future development of a vaccine against melioidosis in related animals.

Animals↗

Antimicrobial resistance in Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Four strains of Burkholderia pseudomallei were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and time-kill curves with 13 single antimicrobial agents: ceftazidime, piperacillin, imipenem, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, doxycycline, cotrimoxazole, kanamycin, rifampicin, ciprofloxacin, trovafloxacin, clarithromycin, azithromycin and meropenem. The time-kill studies were also performed with 33 pairs of combinations of the above antimicrobial agents: 15 combinations which would be expected to be used for acute therapy and 18 combinations for maintenance therapy. The results show that the single and combination antimicrobial agents with bactericidal effects against the four strains of B. pseudomallei which should be used for clinical trials in acute melioidosis are: imipenem, meropenem, and imipenem + azithromycin. The combination antimicrobial agents which should be further studied for the ability to eliminate biofilm and intracellular killing effect are ciprofloxacin + clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin + azithromycin, and imipenem + azithromycin.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Multiple replicons constitute the 6.5-megabase genome of Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a causative agent of melioidosis, a fatal tropical infectious disease endemic in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. In order to determine the size and characteristics of the bacterial genome, the B. pseudomallei genome and genes were analyzed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis of the undigested, intact megabase DNA, and by computational analysis of nucleotide sequences of B. pseudomallei genes which have been sequenced by several investigators and already deposited in a public database. The results showed that the B. pseudomallei genome consists of two large replicons, and that both contain ribosomal RNA gene sequences, indicating the presence of two chromosomes. The classical arabinose-negative B. pseudomallei isolate K96243 has chromosomes of approximately 3563 +/- 73 and 2974 +/- 40 kilobase-pairs in size, giving a total genome size of about 6.5 million base-pairs. The arabinose-positive nonvirulent biotype of B. pseudomallei also has two replicons which are smaller than those of the arabinose-negative biotype. Analysis of the publicly-available nucleotide sequences showed that the average B. pseudomallei gene is approximately 1031 base-pairs in size, with an average G + C content of 65.7%. The genome is gene-rich and about 89% of the coding capacity is used as coding sequences. It can therefore be estimated that the entire B. pseudomallei genome encodes about 5600 genes.

Burkholderia pseudomallei↗

Exopolysaccharides produced by a clinical strain of Burkholderia cepacia isolated from a cystic fibrosis patient.

Burkholderia cepacia is an opportunistic pathogen involved in pulmonary infections related to cystic fibrosis. A clinical strain, BTS13, was isolated and the production of exopolysaccharides was tested growing the bacteria on two different media, one of which was rich in mannitol as carbon source. The primary structure of the polysaccharides was determined using mostly mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. On both media an exopolysaccharide having the following repeating unit was produced: -->5)-beta-Kdop-(2-->3)-beta-D-Galp2Ac-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Galp-(1-->3)-beta-D-Galp-(1--> This polysaccharide has already been described as the biosynthetic product of another Burkholderia species, B. pseudomallei, the microbial agent causing melioidosis. In addition to this, when grown on the mannitol-rich medium, B. cepacia strain BTS13 produced another polysaccharide that was established to be levan: -->6)-beta-D-Fruf-(2-->. The content of levan was about 20% (w/w) of the total amount of polymers. The ability of B. cepacia to produce these two exopolysaccharides opens new perspectives in the investigation of the role of polysaccharides in lung infections.

Burkholderia cepacia↗

Lung radiology in the tropics.

A high-quality chest radiograph and a timely, accurate report are often impossible in the tropics. Rationale matching of service to need, enthusiasm, commitment, and exploitation of information technology all go some way toward enabling patients with pulmonary disease to be imaged. The radiologic findings reflect the high preponderance of infectious disease. TB, HIV, and TB modified by HIV may be "routine" features in some parts of the tropics. Elsewhere, infestation with ameba, hydatid, and strongyloidosis, paragonimiasis, and melioidosis accounts for radiographic signs. The key is to have these conditions firmly in mind when reading tropical radiographs and be aware that the pattern of disease may be different between the patient from the tropics and the more familiar patient from downtown New York.

Humans↗

The Burkholderia pseudomallei oxyR gene: expression analysis and mutant characterization.

Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) is the causative agent of the life-threatening melioidosis in humans. The global transcription factor oxyR gene was isolated and characterized. It is located between recG, encoding a putative DNA helicase, and katG, encoding a putative catalase-peroxidase. oxyR is expressed as a monocistronic 1 kb mRNA and is induced by oxidative stress compounds. Northern, primer extension, and transcription reporter fusion analyses showed that oxyR mRNA is induced by 0.2 mM menadione, 2 mM paraquat, and 10 mM H(2)O(2). Two knockout mutants of oxyR were constructed, by single- and double-crossover recombination, and found to be hypersensitive to H(2)O(2) and paraquat. Bp lacking OxyR exhibited autoaggregation when cultured in liquid broth and an increased ability to form biofilms in minimal medium, but not in Luria-Bertani broth. The oxyR mutants also have a decreased level of extracellular protease activity. The altered phenotypes of oxyR deficient mutants were complemented when a copy of oxyR was transposed into the mutant chromosomes on the mini-Tn5 transposon.

Bacterial Proteins↗

[Dermatological aspects in the risk of biological warfare].

The possible cutaneous manifestations of infectious biological warfare are multiple and vary depending on the agent used. An ulcerous and/or necrotic syndrome and/or regional lymphadenitis syndrome are possible with anthrax, tularaemia, bubonic plague and emission of trichotecene mycotoxins. A vesiculo-pustular syndrome with fever is provoked by smallpox, melioidosis and glanders. A purpural and/or haemorrhagic syndrome is seen during haemorrhagic fever viruses and septicaemic plague. These cutaneous manifestations are excellent markers that orient and alert when they occur in a context of a situation at risk, when several cases are observed in a usually non-exposed population and with extra-dermatological syndromes. They permit the early initiation of treatment.

Biological Warfare↗

An 18 year clinical review of septic arthritis from tropical Australia.

A retrospective study of 191 cases of septic arthritis was undertaken at Royal Darwin Hospital in the tropical north of Australia. Incidence was 9.2 per 100,000 overall and 29.1 per 100,000 in Aboriginal Australians (RR 6.6; 95% CI 5.0-8.9). Males were affected more than females (RR 1.6; 95% CI 1.2-2.1). There was no previous joint disease or medical illness in 54%. The commonest joints involved were the knee (54%) and hip (13%). Significant age associations were infected hips in those under 15 years and infected knees in those over 45 years. Seventy two percent of infections were haematogenous. Causative organisms included Staphylococcus aureus (37%), Streptococcus pyogenes (16%) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (12%). Unusual infections included three melioidosis cases. Polyarthritis occurred in 17%, with N. gonorrhoeae (11/23) more likely to present as polyarthritis than other organisms (22/168) (OR 6.0; 95% CI 2.1-16.7). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed the hip to be at greater risk for S. aureus than other joints. Open arthrotomy was a more successful treatment procedure than arthroscopic washout or needle aspiration.

Adolescent↗

Histopathologic features of Burkholderia cepacia pneumonia in patients without cystic fibrosis.

We present the histopathologic features of fatal Burkholderia cepacia pneumonia in three adults (one man [age 44 years] and two women [aged 40 and 43 years]). In all patients, the pulmonary infiltrates initially were localized (right middle lobe, left upper lobe, and right middle lobe) but rapidly progressed. Two open-lung biopsies and one pneumonectomy specimen showed necrotizing granulomatous inflammation merging with areas of more conventional necrotizing bronchopneumonia In one patient, a mediastinal lymph node also showed stellate necrotizing granulomas. Vasculitis was absent. B. cepacia was cultured from the open-lung biopsies and bronchial wash specimens in two patients and from postmortem cultures of lung, subcarinal lymph nodes, and blood in the third. The histopathology in these patients resembles that of melioidosis, which is caused by a related organism, Burkholderia pseudomallei. B. cepacia needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis of necrotizing granulomatous inflammation. In addition, given the rarity with which B. cepacia is identified as a cause of pneumonia in the immunocompetent host, isolation of B. cepacia should trigger a workup for underlying immunodeficiency or lead to an investigation to exclude the possibility of a nosocomial infection.

Adult↗

Functional reconstitution, gene isolation and topology modelling of porins from Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia thailandensis.

The sequences for Omp38 from Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia thailandensis have been deposited in the DDBJ, EMBL, GenBank(R) and GSDB Nucleotide Sequence Databases under the accession numbers AY312416 and AY312417 respectively. The intracellular pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of tropical melioidosis, and Burkholderia thailandensis is a closely-related Gram-negative bacterium that does not cause serious disease. Like other bacteria, the major outer membrane (OM) porins of Burkholderia strains, Bps Omp38 and Bth Omp38 may have roles in antibiotic resistance and immunity. We purified both proteins and found them to be immunologically related, SDS-resistant, heat-sensitive trimers with M (r) of approx. 110000. In functional liposome-swelling assays, both proteins showed similar permeabilities for small sugar molecules, compatible with a pore diameter of between 1.2 and 1.6 nm. Secondary structure analysis by FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared) spectroscopy revealed almost identical spectra with predominantly beta-sheet structures, typical of bacterial porins. MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-time of flight) MS and ESI/MS (electrospray ionization MS) analysis of each protein showed extensive sequence similarities to the OpcP1 porin from Burkholderia cepacia (later found to be 76.5% identical). Based on information from the incomplete B. pseudomallei genome-sequencing project, the genes encoding Omp38 were identified and amplified by PCR from B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis genomic DNA. The nucleotide sequences are 99.7% identical, and the predicted processed proteins are 100% identical. Topology prediction and molecular modelling suggest that this newly-isolated and cloned porin is a 16-stranded beta-barrel and the external loops of the protein could be important determinants of the immune response to infection.

Amino Acid Sequence↗