An avirulent Burkholderia pseudomallei ∆purM strain with atypical type B LPS: expansion of the toolkit for biosafe studies of melioidosis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The work was undertaken to expand the tools available for researching Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp), the etiological agent of the tropical disease melioidosis. Melioidosis has the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety. In the United States, Bp is listed as a Tier-1 select agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), thus requiring high levels of regulation and biosafety level 3 (BSL3) facilities for experimental manipulation of live organisms. An avirulent ∆purM derivative of strain 1026b (Bp82) has proven to be a valuable tool for biosafe research as a select-agent excluded strain, but the high level of genetic diversity between Bp strains necessitates an expansion of the biosafe toolset.

Results

The ∆purM mutation was r

SUBMITTER: Norris MH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5461690 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature