Burkholderia pseudomallei

rdf:langString Burkholderia pseudomallei

rdf:langString Yabuuchi et al. 1993

rdf:langString Burkholderia

rdf:langString Burkholderia pseudomallei colonies on Ashdown's agar showing the characteristic cornflower head morphology

rdf:langString pseudomallei

rdf:langString Bacillus pseudomallei (Whitmore 1913)

rdf:langString Bacterium whitmori (Stanton and Fletcher 1921)

rdf:langString Loefflerella pseudomallei (Brindle and Cowan 1951)

rdf:langString Malleomyces pseudomallei (Breed 1939)

rdf:langString Pfeiferella pseudomallei

rdf:langString Pseudomonas pseudomallei ( Haynes 1957)

rdf:langString Burkholderia pseudomallei (also known as Pseudomonas pseudomallei) is a Gram-negative, bipolar, aerobic, motile rod-shaped bacterium. It is a soil-dwelling bacterium endemic in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, particularly in Thailand and northern Australia. Recently, there has been an expansion of the affected regions due to significant natural disasters and it can now be found in Southern China, Hong Kong, and countries in America. Although it is mainly a soil-dwelling bacteria, a study performed by Apinya Pumpuang and others showed that Burkholderia pseudomallei survived in distilled water for 16 years, demonstrating that it is capable of living in water if a specific environment is provided. It is resistant to a variety of harsh conditions including nutrient deficiency, extreme temperature or pH. It infects humans and other animals most commonly livestock such as goats, pigs, and sheep. It happens less frequently in other animals, but is possible for them to get infected and causes the disease melioidosis. It is also capable of infecting plants in a laboratory setting. Burkholderia pseudomallei measures 2–5 μm in length and 0.4–0.8 μm in diameter and is capable of self-propulsion using flagellum. The bacteria can grow in a number of artificial nutrient environments, especially betaine- and arginine-containing ones. In vitro, optimal proliferation temperature is reported around 40 °C in neutral or slightly acidic environments (pH 6.8–7.0). The majority of strains are capable of oxidation, not fermentation, of sugars without gas formation (most importantly, glucose and galactose; older cultures are reported to also metabolize maltose and starch). Bacteria produce both exo- and endotoxins. The role of the toxins identified in the process of melioidosis symptom development has not been fully elucidated.