Phenotypic and Genomic Analyses of Burkholderia stabilis Clinical Contamination, Switzerland

Publication

Phenotypic and Genomic Analyses of Burkholderia stabilis Clinical Contamination, Switzerland

Journal Paper/Review - Jun 1, 2019

Seth-Smith Helena M B, Marschall Jonas, Keller Peter M, Widmer Andreas, Schlegel Matthias, Dubuis Olivier, Lang Claudia, Lienhard Reto, Führer Urs, Droz Sara, Blanc Dominique S, Abdelbary Mohamed M H, Meinel Dominik M, Sommerstein Rami, Casanova Carlo, Egli Adrian

Citation

Seth-Smith H, Marschall J, Keller P, Widmer A, Schlegel M, Dubuis O, Lang C, Lienhard R, Führer U, Droz S, Blanc D, Abdelbary M, Meinel D, Sommerstein R, Casanova C, Egli A. Phenotypic and Genomic Analyses of Burkholderia stabilis Clinical Contamination, Switzerland. Emerging Infect Dis 2019; 25:1084-1092.

Type

Journal Paper/Review (English)

Journal

Emerging Infect Dis 2019; 25

Publication Date

Jun 1, 2019

Issn Electronic

1080-6059

Pages

1084-1092

Brief description/objective

A recent hospital outbreak related to premoistened gloves used to wash patients exposed the difficulties of defining Burkholderia species in clinical settings. The outbreak strain displayed key B. stabilis phenotypes, including the inability to grow at 42°C; we used whole-genome sequencing to confirm the pathogen was B. stabilis. The outbreak strain genome comprises 3 chromosomes and a plasmid, sharing an average nucleotide identity of 98.4% with B. stabilis ATCC27515 BAA-67, but with 13% novel coding sequences. The genome lacks identifiable virulence factors and has no apparent increase in encoded antimicrobial drug resistance, few insertion sequences, and few pseudogenes, suggesting this outbreak was an opportunistic infection by an environmental strain not adapted to human pathogenicity. The diversity among outbreak isolates (22 from patients and 16 from washing gloves) is only 6 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, although the genome remains plastic, with large elements stochastically lost from outbreak isolates.