Burkholderia is a genus of Pseudomonadota whose pathogenic members include the Burkholderia cepacia complex, which attacks humans and plants; Burkholderia mallei, responsible for glanders, a disease that occurs mostly in horses and related animals; Burkholderia pseudomallei, causative agent of melioidosis; and Burkholderia cenocepacia, an important pathogen of pulmonary infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Burkholderia species is also found in marine environments. S.I. Paul et al. isolated and characterized Burkholderia cepacia from marine sponges of the Saint Martin's Island of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh.

The Burkholderia (previously part of Pseudomonas) genus name refers to a group of virtually ubiquitous Gram-negative, obligately aerobic, rod-shaped bacteria that are motile by means of single or multiple polar flagella, with the exception of Burkholderia mallei, which is nonmotile.

Due to their antibiotic resistance and the high mortality rate from their associated diseases, B. mallei and B. pseudomallei are considered to be potential biological warfare agents, targeting livestock and humans.

History

The genus was named after Walter H. Burkholder, plant pathologist at Cornell University. The first species placed in the genus were transfers from Pseudomonas, on the basis of various biochemical tests. However, the genus Paraburkholderia is phylogenetically distinct, and can be distinguished from all Burkholderia species on the basis of molecular signatures that are uniquely found for each genus.

Taxonomy

Burkholderia species form a monophyletic group within the Burkholderiales order of the Betaproteobacteria.

Research

Recently, research in Burkholderia species has investigated a range of topics and characteristics including metabolomic response to antibiotics, contact-dependent interactions between bacterial communities, and genomic potential to yield beneficial products.

In Burkholderia species, certain antibiotics such as trimethoprim has been shown to induce and upregulate a large amount of the metabolome, inducing over 100 silent secondary metabolite gene clusters in Burkholderia thailandensis.

Research focused on interbacterial signaling using Burkholderia has shown that contact-dependent growth inhibition plays a significant role in mediating cell to cell communication specifically in B. thailandensis. Thus, contact-dependent signaling plays a significant role in bacterial self recognition and community formation. Along with the related genus Pseudomonas, Burkholderia can synthesize a particular class of biosurfactant called rhamnolipids. Rhamnolipids synthesized by Burkholderia have differing chemical characteristics (compared to those synthesized by Pseudomonas) and thus have the potential for novel applications.

Species

List of species:

<!-- Burkholderia acidipaludis was reclassified as Paraburkholderia acidipaludis -->

  • Burkholderia alpina
  • Burkholderia ambifaria

<!-- Burkholderia andropogonis was reclassified as Robbsia andropogonis. -->

  • Burkholderia anthina

<!-- Burkholderia arationis was reclassified as Caballeronia arationis. -->

  • Burkholderia arboris

<!-- Burkholderia arvi was reclassified as Caballeronia arvi. -->

<!-- Burkholderia aspalathi was reclassified as Paraburkholderia aspalathi. -->

<!-- Burkholderia bannensis was reclassified as Paraburkholderia bannensis. -->

<!-- Burkholderia bryophila was reclassified as Paraburkholderia bryophila. -->

<!-- Burkholderia caballeronis was reclassified as Paraburkholderia caballeronis. -->

<!-- Burkholderia caledonica was reclassified as Paraburkholderia caledonica. -->

<!-- Burkholderia calidae was reclassified as Caballeronia calidae. -->

<!-- Burkholderia caribensis was reclassified as Paraburkholderia caribensis. -->

<!-- Burkholderia caryophylli was reclassified as Paraburkholderia caryophylli. -->

<!-- Burkholderia catudaia was reclassified as Caballeronia catudaia. -->

  • Burkholderia cenocepacia
  • Burkholderia cepacia

<!-- Burkholderia choica was reclassified as Caballeronia choica. -->

<!-- Burkholderia cocovenenans was reclassified as Burkholderia gladioli. -->

<!-- Burkholderia concitans was reclassified as Caballeronia concitans. -->

  • Burkholderia contaminans

<!-- Burkholderia cordobensis was reclassified as Caballeronia cordobensis. -->

<!-- Burkholderia denitrificans was reclassified as Paraburkholderia denitrificans. -->

<!-- Burkholderia diazotrophica was reclassified as Paraburkholderia diazotrophica. -->

  • Burkholderia diffusa

<!-- Burkholderia dilworthii was reclassified as Paraburkholderia dilworthii. -->

<!-- Burkholderia dipogonis was reclassified as Paraburkholderia dipogonis. -->

  • Burkholderia dolosa

<!-- Burkholderia eburnea was reclassified as Paraburkholderia eburnea. -->

<!-- Burkholderia endofungorum was reclassified as Paraburkholderia endofungorum. -->

<!-- Burkholderia ferrariae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia ferrariae. -->

<!-- Burkholderia fortuita was reclassified as Caballeronia fortuita. -->

<!-- Burkholderia fungorum was reclassified as Paraburkholderia fungorum. -->

<!-- Burkholderia ginsengisoli was reclassified as Paraburkholderia ginsengisoli. -->

<!-- Burkholderia ginsengiterrae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia ginsengiterrae. -->

  • Burkholderia gladioli

<!-- Burkholderia glathei was reclassified as Caballeronia glathei. -->

<!-- Burkholderia glebae was reclassified as Caballeronia glebae. -->

  • Burkholderia glumae

<!-- Burkholderia graminis was reclassified as Paraburkholderia graminis. -->

<!-- Burkholderia grimmiae was reclassified as Caballeronia grimmiae. -->

<!-- Burkholderia heleia was reclassified as Paraburkholderia heleia. -->

<!-- Burkholderia hospita was reclassified as Paraburkholderia hospita. -->

<!-- Burkholderia humi was reclassified as Caballeronia humi. -->

<!-- Burkholderia humisilvae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia humisilvae. -->

  • Burkholderia humptydooensis

<!-- Burkholderia hypogeia was reclassified as Caballeronia hypogeia. -->

<!-- Burkholderia insecticola was reclassified as Caballeronia insecticola. -->

<!-- Burkholderia insulsa was reclassified as Paraburkholderia insulsa. -->

<!-- Burkholderia jiangsuensis was reclassified as Caballeronia jiangsuensis. -->

<!-- Burkholderia jirisanensis was reclassified as Paraburkholderia jirisanensis. -->

<!-- Burkholderia kirstenboschensis was reclassified as Paraburkholderia kirstenboschensis. -->

<!-- Burkholderia kururiensis was reclassified as Paraburkholderia kururiensis. -->

  • Burkholderia lata
  • Burkholderia latens
  • Burkholderia mallei

<!-- Burkholderia megalochromosomata was reclassified as Caballeronia megalochromosomata. -->

<!-- Burkholderia megapolitana was reclassified as Paraburkholderia megapolitana. -->

  • Burkholderia metallica

<!-- Burkholderia metalliresistens was reclassified as Paraburkholderia metalliresistens. -->

<!-- Burkholderia mimosarum was reclassified as Paraburkholderia mimosarum. -->

<!-- Burkholderia monticola was reclassified as Paraburkholderia monticola. -->

  • Burkholderia multivorans

<!-- Burkholderia nodosa was reclassified as Paraburkholderia nodosa. -->

<!-- Burkholderia norimbergensis was reclassified as Pandoraea norimbergensis. -->

  • Burkholderia oklahomensis

<!-- Burkholderia oxyphila was reclassified as Paraburkholderia oxyphila. -->

<!-- Burkholderia panaciterrae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia ginsengiterrae. -->

<!-- Burkholderia pedi was reclassified as Caballeronia pedi. -->

<!-- Burkholderia peredens was reclassified as Caballeronia peredens. -->

<!-- Burkholderia phenazinium was reclassified as Paraburkholderia phenazinium. -->

<!-- Burkholderia phenoliruptrix was reclassified as Paraburkholderia phenoliruptrix. -->

<!-- Burkholderia phymatum was reclassified as Paraburkholderia phymatum. -->

<!-- Burkholderia phytofirmans was reclassified as Paraburkholderia phytofirmans. -->

<!-- Burkholderia pickettii was reclassified as Ralstonia pickettii. -->

  • Burkholderia plantarii
  • Burkholderia pseudomallei
  • Burkholderia pseudomultivorans

<!-- Burkholderia ptereochthonis was reclassified as Caballeronia ptereochthonis. -->

  • Burkholderia puraquae
  • Burkholderia pyrrocinia

<!-- Burkholderia rhizosphaerae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia rhizosphaerae. -->

<!-- Burkholderia rhizoxinica was reclassified as Paraburkholderia rhizoxinica. -->

<!-- Burkholderia rhynchosiae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia rhynchosiae. -->

<!-- Burkholderia sabiae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia sabiae. -->

<!-- Burkholderia sacchari was reclassified as Paraburkholderia sacchari. -->

<!-- Burkholderia sartisoli was reclassified as Paraburkholderia sartisoli. -->

<!-- Burkholderia sediminicola was reclassified as Paraburkholderia sediminicola. -->

  • Burkholderia seminalis

<!-- Burkholderia silvatlantica was reclassified as Paraburkholderia silvatlantica. -->

  • Burkholderia singaporensis
  • Burkholderia singularis

<!-- Burkholderia solanacearum was reclassified as Ralstonia solanacearum. -->

<!-- Burkholderia soli was reclassified as Paraburkholderia soli. -->

<!-- Burkholderia solisilvae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia solisilvae. -->

<!-- Burkholderia sordidicola was reclassified as Caballeronia sordidicola. -->

<!-- Burkholderia sprentiae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia sprentiae. -->

  • Burkholderia stabilis
  • Burkholderia stagnalis

<!-- Burkholderia susongensis was reclassified as Paraburkholderia susongensis. -->

<!-- Burkholderia symbiotica was reclassified as Paraburkholderia symbiotica. -->

<!-- Burkholderia telluris was reclassified as Caballeronia telluris. -->

<!-- Burkholderia temeraria was reclassified as Caballeronia temeraria. -->

<!-- Burkholderia terrae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia terrae. -->

<!-- Burkholderia terrestris was reclassified as Caballeronia terrestris. -->

<!-- Burkholderia terricola was reclassified as Paraburkholderia terricola. -->

  • Burkholderia territorii
  • Burkholderia thailandensis

<!-- Burkholderia tropica was reclassified as Paraburkholderia tropica. -->

<!-- Burkholderia tuberum was reclassified as Paraburkholderia tuberum. -->

<!-- Burkholderia turbans was reclassified as Caballeronia turbans. -->

  • Burkholderia ubonensis

<!-- Burkholderia udeis was reclassified as Caballeronia udeis. -->

<!-- Burkholderia unamae was reclassified as Paraburkholderia unamae. -->

<!-- Burkholderia vandii was reclassified as Burkholderia plantarii. -->

  • Burkholderia vietnamiensis

<!-- Burkholderia xenovorans was reclassified as Paraburkholderia xenovorans. -->

<!-- Burkholderia zhejiangensis was reclassified as Caballeronia zhejiangensis. -->

See also

  • MAEB RNA motif

References

  • Burkholderia genomes and related information at PATRIC, a Bioinformatics Resource Center funded by NIAID
  • Pathema-Burkholderia Resource
  • Burkholderia Genome Database