Burkholderia respiratory tract infections in Italian patients with cystic fibrosis: Molecular characterization

Abstract

Summary Objectives: To characterize by molecular techniques Burkholderia strains responsible for respiratory tract infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients (children and adults), to assign the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) isolates to a genomovar and to assess the presence of cblA and esmR genes in bacteria. Unique or sequential Burkholderia isolates (n ¼ 48) that had been collected from eight CF children and 17 adults over several (4e6) years were investigated; moreover 11 reference strains were analyzed. Methods: The microorganisms were identified by using biochemical methods, genotyped by pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and random-amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprintingePCR (RAPDePCR), and assessed by PCR assays for the genomovar and cblA and esmR genes of Bcc. Results: Among isolates 70.8% were identified as Bcc genomovar III-A; one child was infected by Burkholderia ambifaria and four adults were colonized with Burkholderia gladioli. The cblA gene was not detected in any of the isolates, while the esmR gene was detected in the 52.1% of the strains, all belonging to genomovar III-A. Conclusion: Molecular analysis of strains revealed in CF patients a colonization with a persistent Burkholderia flora with strains of one genotype. The prevalence of Bcc of genomovar III-A in the two categories of patients and of B. gladioli in four adults demonstrated that transmission may have occurred between subjects. Moreover the B. ambifaria infection demonstrated in a child may be environmentally derived.

Achromobacter xylosoxidans respiratory tract infections in cystic fibrosis patients

“…DNA macrorestriction and PFGE were performed as previously described (17). Briefly, isolates were grown overnight, suspended in SE buffer and included in 2% low melting point agarose (Bio‐Rad) in 0.5× TBE buffer; agarose plugs were prepared and maintained at 4 °C.…”

Effects of the microbial secondary metabolites pyrrolnitrin, phenazine and patulin on INS-1 rat pancreatic β-cells

“…This is of particular relevance in people suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF), who have a high rate of infection by such organisms (Govan & Deretic, 1996;Allice et al, 2006). The work provides evidence in support of a possible link between prolonged exposure to such compounds and pancreatic b-cell death, with the possibility of individuals developing diabetes having had long-term infection with phenazine-or pyrrolnitrin-producing microorganisms such as Pseudomonas spp.…”

“…An important complication associated with CF is diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, usually referred to as CF-related diabetes (CFRD) (Zirbes & Milla, 2009). are the main opportunistic pathogens in CF and immuno-compromised patients (Mc Manus et al, 2003;Allice et al, 2006). However, the pathogenesis of CFRD is unclear (Hardin et al, 2001;Hadjiliadis et al, 2005).…”

Two Cases of Keratitis and Corneal Ulcers Caused by Burkholderia gladioli

“…gladioli itself is a rare, opportunistic human pathogen, most commonly reported in lung infections of patients with cystic fibrosis. These episodes are occasionally complicated by recurrent abscesses or sepsis (1,2,3,4,7,11,13,14,22,26). Ross et al reported pneumonia in two patients with chronic granulomatosis (20).…”