ABSTRACT
The genus Burkholderia covers a diverse group of Gram-negative ß-proteobacteria. The major pathogenic bacteria of the genus Burkholderia include the species B. mallei, B. pseudomallei, the B. cepacia complex, and B. gladioli. The bacteria of the B. cepacia complex are found more commonly in food and water supplies than either B. pseudomallei or B. mallei. B. mallei causes glanders, a zoonosis disease of horses that can also be transmitted to humans. Like B. pseudomallei, various aspects of B. cepacia complex bacteria pathogenicity have been modeled using mammals (rodents), including mice and rats. Modeling B. cepacia complex disease typically requires the animals to be immunocompromised in some way, as healthy animals are generally able to resist Bcc infections. Toxigenic B. gladioli can be studied at the organismal level, or through the purification of the toxin and with the use of specialized cellular or molecular assays.
