Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is rare but ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico.
<h4>Background</h4>Burkholderia pseudomallei is a soil-dwelling bacterium and the causative agent of melioidosis. The global burden and distribution of melioidosis is poorly understood, including in the Caribbean. B. pseudomallei was previously isolated from humans and soil in eastern Pu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2019-09-01
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| Series: | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007727 |
| _version_ | 1818580699717828608 |
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| author | Carina M Hall Sierra Jaramillo Rebecca Jimenez Nathan E Stone Heather Centner Joseph D Busch Nicole Bratsch Chandler C Roe Jay E Gee Alex R Hoffmaster Sarai Rivera-Garcia Fred Soltero Kyle Ryff Janice Perez-Padilla Paul Keim Jason W Sahl David M Wagner |
| author_facet | Carina M Hall Sierra Jaramillo Rebecca Jimenez Nathan E Stone Heather Centner Joseph D Busch Nicole Bratsch Chandler C Roe Jay E Gee Alex R Hoffmaster Sarai Rivera-Garcia Fred Soltero Kyle Ryff Janice Perez-Padilla Paul Keim Jason W Sahl David M Wagner |
| author_sort | Carina M Hall |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Burkholderia pseudomallei is a soil-dwelling bacterium and the causative agent of melioidosis. The global burden and distribution of melioidosis is poorly understood, including in the Caribbean. B. pseudomallei was previously isolated from humans and soil in eastern Puerto Rico but the abundance and distribution of B. pseudomallei in Puerto Rico as a whole has not been thoroughly investigated.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>We collected 600 environmental samples (500 soil and 100 water) from 60 sites around Puerto Rico. We identified B. pseudomallei by isolating it via culturing and/or using PCR to detect its DNA within complex DNA extracts. Only three adjacent soil samples from one site were positive for B. pseudomallei with PCR; we obtained 55 isolates from two of these samples. The 55 B. pseudomallei isolates exhibited fine-scale variation in the core genome and contained four novel genomic islands. Phylogenetic analyses grouped Puerto Rico B. pseudomallei isolates into a monophyletic clade containing other Caribbean isolates, which was nested inside a larger clade containing all isolates from Central/South America. Other Burkholderia species were commonly observed in Puerto Rico; we cultured 129 isolates from multiple soil and water samples collected at numerous sites around Puerto Rico, including representatives of B. anthina, B. cenocepacia, B. cepacia, B. contaminans, B. glumae, B. seminalis, B. stagnalis, B. ubonensis, and several unidentified novel Burkholderia spp.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>B. pseudomallei was only detected in three soil samples collected at one site in north central Puerto Rico with only two of those samples yielding isolates. All previous human and environmental B. pseudomallei isolates were obtained from eastern Puerto Rico. These findings suggest B. pseudomallei is ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico but rare. Phylogeographic patterns suggest the source of B. pseudomallei populations in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean may have been Central or South America. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T07:21:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-57b935e292be41f8b1e1c94a4e275589 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1935-2727 1935-2735 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T07:21:45Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| spelling | doaj.art-57b935e292be41f8b1e1c94a4e2755892022-12-21T22:39:38ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases1935-27271935-27352019-09-01139e000772710.1371/journal.pntd.0007727Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is rare but ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico.Carina M HallSierra JaramilloRebecca JimenezNathan E StoneHeather CentnerJoseph D BuschNicole BratschChandler C RoeJay E GeeAlex R HoffmasterSarai Rivera-GarciaFred SolteroKyle RyffJanice Perez-PadillaPaul KeimJason W SahlDavid M Wagner<h4>Background</h4>Burkholderia pseudomallei is a soil-dwelling bacterium and the causative agent of melioidosis. The global burden and distribution of melioidosis is poorly understood, including in the Caribbean. B. pseudomallei was previously isolated from humans and soil in eastern Puerto Rico but the abundance and distribution of B. pseudomallei in Puerto Rico as a whole has not been thoroughly investigated.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>We collected 600 environmental samples (500 soil and 100 water) from 60 sites around Puerto Rico. We identified B. pseudomallei by isolating it via culturing and/or using PCR to detect its DNA within complex DNA extracts. Only three adjacent soil samples from one site were positive for B. pseudomallei with PCR; we obtained 55 isolates from two of these samples. The 55 B. pseudomallei isolates exhibited fine-scale variation in the core genome and contained four novel genomic islands. Phylogenetic analyses grouped Puerto Rico B. pseudomallei isolates into a monophyletic clade containing other Caribbean isolates, which was nested inside a larger clade containing all isolates from Central/South America. Other Burkholderia species were commonly observed in Puerto Rico; we cultured 129 isolates from multiple soil and water samples collected at numerous sites around Puerto Rico, including representatives of B. anthina, B. cenocepacia, B. cepacia, B. contaminans, B. glumae, B. seminalis, B. stagnalis, B. ubonensis, and several unidentified novel Burkholderia spp.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>B. pseudomallei was only detected in three soil samples collected at one site in north central Puerto Rico with only two of those samples yielding isolates. All previous human and environmental B. pseudomallei isolates were obtained from eastern Puerto Rico. These findings suggest B. pseudomallei is ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico but rare. Phylogeographic patterns suggest the source of B. pseudomallei populations in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean may have been Central or South America.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007727 |
| spellingShingle | Carina M Hall Sierra Jaramillo Rebecca Jimenez Nathan E Stone Heather Centner Joseph D Busch Nicole Bratsch Chandler C Roe Jay E Gee Alex R Hoffmaster Sarai Rivera-Garcia Fred Soltero Kyle Ryff Janice Perez-Padilla Paul Keim Jason W Sahl David M Wagner Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is rare but ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
| title | Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is rare but ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico. |
| title_full | Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is rare but ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico. |
| title_fullStr | Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is rare but ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is rare but ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico. |
| title_short | Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is rare but ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in Puerto Rico. |
| title_sort | burkholderia pseudomallei the causative agent of melioidosis is rare but ecologically established and widely dispersed in the environment in puerto rico |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007727 |
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