Burkholderia

Question 1

Burkholderia is a gram ______ bacteria.

Answer 1

Negative

(rods)

Question 2

Burkholderia is catalase ______.

Answer 2

Positive

Question 3

True/False. Burkholdia is aerobic.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Which species of Burkholderia causes glanders in horses?

Answer 4

B. mallei

Question 5

What species of Burkholderia causes melioidosis in sheep and goats?

Answer 5

B. pseudomallei

Question 6

Which species of Burkholeria is frequently found in cystic fibrosis patients (humans)?

Answer 6

B. cepacia

Question 7

Which species of Burkholderia was bioweaponized in WWI?

Answer 7

B. mallei

Biosafety level 3 agent

Question 8

True/False. Glanders is a reportable disease.

Answer 8

TRUE. REPORT IT.

Question 9

What regions is glanders endemic?

Answer 9

Now mainly Asia and South Africa

Question 10

How is B. mallei transmitted?

Answer 10

Ingestion of contaminated feed or water

Inhalation

Wounds

Question 11

What symptoms woud you expect to see with glanders disease?

Answer 11

pyogranulomatous nodules, and ulcers

Orchitis - inflammation of testes

Respiratory tract infection

[nodular lesions in lymphnodes, lung, liver, spleen, nose and skin]

Question 12

What is the reservoir host in endemic regions for B. pseudomallei?

Answer 12

Rodents in tropical and subtropical regions.

(amoebas are reservior hosts too - endosymbiont of environmental amoeba)

Question 13

Since B. pseudomallei is a real saprophyte, what kind of enivronment would you expect to find it in?

Answer 13

Water rich environments

Swampy terrian

Rice paddies

Question 14

What is meliodosis?

Answer 14

A pyogranulomatous infection that is similar to glanders disease

Question 15

What disease would you see in a horse infected with B. pseudomallei?

Answer 15

Pseudoglanders

[mimcics glanders, less contagious, less severe, and is not reportable]

Question 16

What would you expect to see in a dog infected with B. pseudomallei?

Answer 16

Febrile diseases with localizing suppurative foci

(very important in military dogs during war in Vietnam - very tropical region)

Question 17

What symptoms would you expect to see in a sheep infected with B. pseudomallei?

Answer 17

Arthristis and lympandentitis

Question 18

What symptoms do you expect to see in goats and swine infected with B. pseudomallei?

Answer 18

More of a chronic condition

Goats and swine: loss of condition, respiratory and CNS disturbances, arthritis and mastitis

Swine: Abortion and diarrhea

Question 19

What is the official test for glanders in horses? What is another specific test for glanders you can perform if you get a false positive?

Answer 19

Complement fixation test - beware of false positives

Mallein test (intradermo test) - type IV hypersensitivity, cellular

Question 20

How would you treat a horse infected with glanders?

Answer 20

First of all, report that shit.

Then cull all those horses.

[no vx]

Question 21

How would you treat a horse infected with meliodosis?

Answer 21

Drainage of abscesses and antimicrobials (susceptibility profile)

[no vx]

Question 22

Which species grows faster? B. pseudomallei or B. mallei?

Answer 22

B. pseudomallei <48 hrs

Question 23

Which species of Burkholderia grows on 2% NaCl?

Answer 23

B. pseudomallei

Question 24

Which species of Burkholderia oxidizes lactose?

Answer 24

B. pseudomallei

Question 25

Which species of Burkholderia is motile?

Answer 25

B. psuedomallei

Question 26

Which selective media can you use to isolate B. pseudomallei in mixed infections?

Answer 26

Ashdown’s selective medium