The genus Burkholderia includes pathogens of plants and animals and some human opportunistic pathogens, such as the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), but most species are nonpathogenic, plant associated, and rhizospheric or endophytic. Since rhizobacteria expressing ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate) deaminase may enhance plant growth by lowering plant ethylene levels, in this work we in...

Accurate identification of pathogens with biowarfare importance requires detection tools that specifically differentiate them from near-neighbor species. Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of a fatal disease melioidosis, is one such biothreat agent whose differentiation from its near-neighbor species is always a challenge. This is because of its phenotypic similarity with other Burk...

Polyamine patterns of 75 strains of actinobacteria belonging to the genera Agrococcus, Agromyces, Aureobacterium, Brevibacterium, Cluvibacter, Corynebacterium, Curtobacterium, Microbacterium, Rathayibacter, and Tsukamurellu were analyzed in order to investigate the suitability of this approach for differentiation within this group. The results revealed that the overall polyamine contents differ...

A PCR procedure for the discrimination of Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei was developed. It is based on the nucleotide difference T 2143 C (T versus C at position 2143) between B. mallei and B. pseudomallei detected in the 23S rDNA sequences. In comparison with conventional methods the procedure allows more rapid identification at reduced risk for infection of laboratory perso...

Burkholderia multivorans is a member of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. Although it is usually associated with infections in patients with cystic fibrosis, chronic granulomatous disease, and immunosuppression, central nervous infections are not commonly reported. Moreover, management of these infections is difficult due to multiple mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents. W...

The assessment of Burkholderia diversity in agricultural areas is important considering the potential use of this genus for agronomic and environmental applications. Therefore, the aim of this work was to ascertain how plant species and land use management drive the diversity of the genus Burkholderia. In a greenhouse experiment, different crops, i.e., maize, oat, barley, and grass, were plante...

Two new species, Burkholderia multivorans and Burkholderia vietnamiensis, and three genomovars (genomovars I, III, and IV) currently constitute the Burkholderia cepacia complex. A panel of 30 well-characterized strains representative of each genomovar and new species was assembled to assist with identification, epidemiological analysis, and virulence studies on this important group of opportuni...

In spite of the importance of many members of the genus Burkholderia in the soil microbial community, no direct method to assess the diversity of this genus has been developed so far. The aim of this work was the development of soil DNA-based PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), a powerful tool for studying the diversity of microbial communities, for detection and analysis of the...