Agricultural use of Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia: a threat to human health?
In the past 2 decades, Burkholderia cepacia has emerged as a human pathogen causing numerous outbreaks, particularly among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. One highly transmissible strain has spread across North America and Britain, and another between hospitalized CF and non-CF patients. Meanwhile, the organism has been developed as a biopesticide for protecting crops against fungal diseases and has potential as a bioremediation agent for breaking down recalcitrant herbicides and pesticides. However, B. cepacia is inherently resistant to multiple antibiotics; selection of strains "safe" for environmental application is not at present possible phenotypically or genotypically; molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic studies demonstrate that highly transmissible strains emerge randomly; and the organism has a capacity for rapid mutation and adaptation (facilitated by numerous insertion sequences), and a large, complex genome divided into separate chromosomes. Therefore, the widespread agricultural use of B. cepacia should be approached with caution.
Holmes
A
A
Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom. aholmes@rpms.ac.uk
Govan
J
J
Goldstein
R
R
D000383:Agriculture; D019121:Burkholderia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016956:Burkholderia cepacia / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000382:microbiology; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control; D009154:Mutation; D010572:Pest Control, Biological