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An epidemic Burkholderia cepacia complex strain identified in soil

John J LiPuma1, Theodore Spilker, Tom Coenye

  • 1Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 8323 MSRB III, Box 0646, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. jlipuma@umich.edu

Lancet (London, England)
|June 22, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Burkholderia cepacia complex infections are a threat to cystic fibrosis patients. Researchers found a common strain in agricultural soil and cystic fibrosis patients, suggesting environmental sources contribute to infections despite control measures.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Environmental Science
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • The Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) causes life-threatening infections, particularly in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF).
  • Cross-infection among CF patients is a primary transmission route, but ongoing acquisition suggests environmental reservoirs.
  • Environmental sources of BCC strains commonly found in CF patients have not been definitively identified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify environmental reservoirs of Burkholderia cepacia complex strains implicated in cystic fibrosis infections.
  • To determine if environmental strains are indistinguishable from those causing human infections.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized various genotyping techniques to analyze bacterial strains.
  • Compared strains isolated from agricultural soil with those recovered from CF patients in the mid-Atlantic USA.

Main Results:

  • Identified a specific B. cepacia genomovar III strain in agricultural soil.
  • This soil-derived strain is the most frequently recovered BCC strain from CF patients in the studied region.
  • Demonstrated genetic similarity between environmental and patient-associated BCC strains.

Conclusions:

  • Human-pathogenic BCC strains are not necessarily distinct from environmental strains.
  • Agricultural soil represents a potential reservoir for BCC infections in CF patients.
  • Findings may explain persistent BCC acquisition in CF patients despite infection control protocols.

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