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Distinct human antibody response to the biological warfare agent Burkholderia mallei

John J Varga1, Adam Vigil, David DeShazer

  • 1University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

Virulence
|October 19, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Antibody responses to glanders (Burkholderia mallei) differ significantly from melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei), challenging assumptions about their pathogenesis. This discovery impacts diagnosing and treating these related bacterial infections.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Immunology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Burkholderia mallei (glanders) and Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis) share genetic similarity, leading to assumptions of similar pathogenesis.
  • A rare human case of glanders in North America provided a unique opportunity to study the host immune response.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the antibody response in a human infected with Burkholderia mallei.
  • To compare the antibody profile of glanders with that of melioidosis.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a well-characterized protein array platform with 156 peptides.
  • Analyzed pre-exposure and post-infection sera from a human glanders case.
  • Compared glanders antibody data with existing data from Burkholderia pseudomallei infections.

Main Results:

  • Identified antibodies against 17 peptides with a > 2-fold increase in the glanders infection.
  • Found only two highly increased antibodies were shared between glanders and melioidosis infections.
  • Demonstrated distinct antibody profiles for the two related bacterial pathogens.

Conclusions:

  • The pathogenesis of glanders and melioidosis, despite genetic similarity, elicits significantly different antibody responses.
  • These distinct immune signatures have critical implications for developing accurate diagnostic tools and effective treatments for both infections.

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