Use of Comparative Genomics To Resolve an Unusual Case of Aminoglycoside Susceptibility in the Melioidosis Pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei in Bangladesh
Melioidosis is an emerging tropical infectious disease with a rising global burden caused by the environmental bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is endemic in Southeast and South Asia, including Bangladesh. A rare aminoglycoside-susceptible B. pseudomallei isolate (Y2019) has recently been reported from a melioidosis patient in Dhaka, Bangladesh. To understand the geographical origins of Y2019, we subjected it and 10 other isolates from Bangladesh to whole-genome sequencing. In a phylogenetic tree with a global set of B. pseudomallei genomes, most Bangladeshi genomes clustered tightly within the Asian clade. In contrast, Y2019 was closely related to ST881 isolates from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, a gentamicin-sensitive sequence type, suggesting infection in Borneo. Y2019 also contained the same gentamicin sensitivity conferring nonsynonymous mutation in the drug efflux pump encoding the amrB gene. In the absence of a full travel history, whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics tools have revealed the likely origin of this rare isolate.
Authors
- Jessica R. Webb (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6332-039X)
- Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui
- Yuwana Podin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4984-2394)
- David A. B. Dance (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9189-7244)
- Mark Mayo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9413-0142)
- Mirjam Kaestli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6053-5141)
- Saika Farook (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3761-1705)
- Md. Shariful Alam Jilani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1143-5272)
- Bart J. Currie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8878-8837)
- Shaheda Anwar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2335-5352)
Institutions
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Bangladesh Medical University (BD)
- Mahosot Hospital (LA)
- Charles Darwin University (AU)
- Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (MY)
- Menzies School of Health Research (AU)
- Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital & Research Institute (BD)
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
- Peter Doherty Institute (AU)
- Royal Darwin Hospital (AU)
- Wellcome Trust (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Published
- 2024-09-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.24-0144
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Burkholderia infections and melioidosis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.39
Funders
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Wellcome Trust
- Menzies School of Health Research
- University of Melbourne
- Charles Darwin University
- Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
- Institute of Infection and Immunity