Characterization of Burkholderia pseudomallei from spontaneous melioidosis in a Bornean orangutan

Abstract

Background and Aim: Melioidosis is a potentially fatal disease affecting humans and a wide range of animal species; it is often underdiagnosed and underreported in veterinary medicine in Indonesia. This study aimed to characterize morphological and molecular features of Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis which caused the death of a Bornean orangutan. Materials and Methods: Pulmonary abscess samples were cultured on several types of media, including Ashdown agar, Ashdown broth, and MacConkey agar. Type three secretion system orf 2 real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and latex agglutination tests were performed to identify the bacteria. Morphological characteristics were compared to all previously published morphotypes. Subsequently, the bacteria were characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and Yersinia-like flagellum/Burkholderia thailandensis-like flagellum and chemotaxis PCR. The results of the genotyping were afterward compared to all genotypes from Southeast Asia. Results: Multiple morphotypes of B. pseudomallei were perceived during the growth on Ashdown agar. Furthermore, it was identified by MLST that the Type I and Type II morphotypes observed in this study were clones of a single ST, ST54, which is predominantly found in humans and the environment in Malaysia and Thailand, although a very limited number of reports was published in association with animals. Moreover, the E-BURST analysis showed that the ST is grouped together with isolates from Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Cambodia. ST54 was predicted to be the founding genotype of several STs from those regions. Conclusion: B. pseudomallei ST54 that caused the death of a Bornean orangutan has a distant genetic relationship with other STs which were previously reported in Indonesia, implying a vast genetic diversity in Indonesia that has not been discovered yet.

Humoral Immune Responses to Burkholderia pseudomallei Antigens in Captive and Wild Macaques in the Western Part of Java, Indonesia

“…Indonesia and many countries in the tropical region have a very suitable environment for B. pseudomallei [ 32 ]. In Indonesia, cases of melioidosis have been reported in both humans [ 2 ] and animals [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. The number of reports is limited and interestingly, all veterinary cases of melioidosis in Indonesia (or in Indonesian animals exported abroad) were reported in nonhuman primates.…”

“…The number of reports is limited and interestingly, all veterinary cases of melioidosis in Indonesia (or in Indonesian animals exported abroad) were reported in nonhuman primates. All of them were animals reared under strict health monitoring, such as macaques in the IPB Primate Research Center, Bogor, Indonesia [ 10 ], cynomolgus macaques exported to the Britain [ 7 ], a pig-tailed macaque exported to the US [ 8 , 9 ], and orangutans in a Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation rehabilitation and reintroduction programs in East Kalimantan [ 11 ] and Central Kalimantan, Indonesia [ 12 ]. The low number of melioidosis reports in veterinary medicine in Indonesia might be related to limited health monitoring and limited awareness of the disease.…”

“…Many unpublished cases have been identified from hospitals in major cities such as Banjarmasin, Surabaya, Bandung, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Banda Aceh [ 2 ]. Published reports of melioidosis in the veterinary field in Indonesia are even more limited; those include cases in three cynomolgus monkeys exported to Britain [ 7 ], one pig-tailed monkey exported to the US [ 8 , 9 ], one cynomolgus monkey in IPB primate research center [ 10 ], and two orangutans in the facilities of Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation [ 11 , 12 ].…”

“…The concern arises because melioidosis cases in nonhuman primates are usually severe. Most of the reported spontaneous melioidosis cases in nonhuman primates (NHPs) resulted in either death during treatment or euthanasia [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. The high mortality rate may greatly affect conservation efforts of protected NHP species and may also cause significant loss in primate centers working with macaques for biomedical purposes.…”