Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei

 

B。

The progress of disease and clinical risk factors are very similar for B. pseudomallei and B. mallei, although more reports of the clinical description of disease exist for melioidosis than for glanders.  Risk factors for disease include diabetes, renal issues, severe alcoholism, and thalassemia, although under certain circumstances healthy adults may become infected, possibly due to factors of dose, strain virulence, and route of infection.  The primary routes of infection are percutaneous inoculation and inhalation, although incidents of infection by ingestion, sexual contact, and mother-to-fetus transmission have been reported.  Regardless of the route of infection, susceptible hosts develop a septicemic disease affecting all major organs.  Computerized tomography has revealed that pathologies are most commonly associated with the lung (50% of cases) with frequent involvement of the spleen and liver.

B. pseudomallei and B. mallei are emerging pathogens in the USA, with disease most commonly associated with travel to endemic areas.  Laboratory acquisition of disease is possible, but the highest risk is associated with clinical laboratories not prepared to handle the organisms.  Safe handling of B. pseudomallei and B. mallei requires high containment BSL-3 laboratories.  These pathogens have also been classified as Select Agents in several countries including the USA, as BSL-3 Burkholderia have the potential for malicious use in biowarfare.  As such, research to identify novel therapeutics and diagnostics is a high priority, particularly for Burkholderia respiratory disease models.