Burkholderia cenocepacia is an opportunistic pathogen particularly dangerous for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. It can cause a severe decline in CF lung function possibly developing into a life-threatening systemic infection known as cepacia syndrome. Antibiotic resistance and presence of numerous virulence determinants in the genome make B. cenocepacia extremely difficult to treat. Better understanding of its resistance profiles and mechanisms is crucial to improve management of these infections. Here, we present the clinical distribution of B. cenocepacia described in the last 6 years and methods for identification and classification of epidemic strains. We also detail new antibiotics, clinical trials, and alternative approaches reported in the literature in the last 5 years to tackle B. cenocepacia resistance issue. All together these findings point out the urgent need of new and alternative therapies to improve CF patients’ life expectancy.

One of the emerging biopolymers that are currently under active investigation is bacterial poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γ-PGA). However, before its full industrial exploitation, a substantial increase in microbial productivity is required. γ-PGA obtained from the Bacillus subtilis laboratory strain 168 offers the advantage of a producer characterized by a well defined genetic framework and simple manipulation techniques. In this strain, the knockout of genes for the major γ-PGA degrading enzymes, pgdS and ggt, leads to a considerable improvement in polymer yield, which attains levels analogous to the top wild γ-PGA producer strains. This study highlights the convenience of using the laboratory strain of B. subtilis over wild isolates in designing strain improvement strategies aimed at increasing γ-PGA productivity.

To streamline the elucidation of antibacterial compounds’ mechanism of action, comprehensive high-throughput assays interrogating multiple putative targets are necessary. However, current chemogenomic approaches for antibiotic target identification have not fully utilized the multiplexing potential of next-generation sequencing.