Burkholderia cepacia complex
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Burkholderia cepacia complex or simply Burkholderia cepacia, formerly known as Pseudomonas cepacia, is a group of catalase-producing, non-lactose-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria composed of at least nine different species, including Burkholderia cepacia, Burkholderia multivorans, Burkholderia cenocepacia, Burkholderia vietnamiensis, Burkholderia stabilis, Burkholderia ambifaria, Burkholderia dolosa, Burkholderia anthina, and Burkholderia pyrrocinia. Burkholderia cepacia is an important human pathogen which most often causes pneumonia in people with underlying lung disease (such as cystic fibrosis or immune problems such as chronic granulomatous disease).
Burkholderia cepacia is typically found in water and soil and can survive for prolonged periods in moist environments. Person-to-person spread has been documented; as a result, many hospitals, clinics, and camps for patients with cystic fibrosis have enacted strict isolation precautions Burkholderia cepacia. Individuals with the bacteria are often treated in a separate area than those without to limit spread. This is because infection with Burkholderia cepacia can lead to a rapid decline in lung function that results in death.
Diagnosis of Burkholderia cepacia complex involves isolation of the bacteria from sputum cultures. Treatment is difficult because Burkholderia cepacia is naturally resistant to many common antibiotics including aminoglycosides (such as tobramycin) and polymixin B. The bacteria is so hardy that it has been found to persist in betadine (a common topcial antiseptic). Treatment typically includes multiple antibiotics and may include ceftazidime, doxycycline, piperacillin, chloramphenicol, and co-trimoxazole.
Burkholderia cepacia was discovered by Walter Burkholder in 1949 as the culprit in onion skin rot, and first described as a human pathogen in the 1950s. In the 1980s, it was first recognized in individuals with cystic fibrosis and outbreaks were associated with a 35% death rate. Burkholderia cepacia has a large genome, containing twice the amount of genetic material as Escherichia coli.
[edit] References
- UMR: Burkholderia cepacia
- CFF: Reasearch
- Burkholder W. Sour skin, a bacterial rot of onion bulbs. Phytopathology 1950 40:115-8.
- Anderson RL, Vess RW, Panlilio AL, et al. Prolongad survival of Pseudomonas cepacia in commercially manufactured povidone-iodine. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 56:3598-600.
Mahenthiralingam, E., T.A. Urban and J. B. Goldberg. The Multifarious, Multireplicon Burkholderia Cepacia Complex. Nature Review Microbiol. 2005 3:144-156.
