Lysogeny and bacteriophage host range within the Burkholderia cepacia complex.
The Burkholderia cepacia complex comprises a group of nine closely related species that have emerged as life-threatening pulmonary pathogens in immunocompromised patients, particularly individuals with cystic fibrosis or chronic granulomatous disease. Attempts to explain the genomic plasticity, adaptability and virulence of the complex have paid little attention to bacteriophages, particularly the potential contribution of lysogenic conversion and transduction. In this study, lysogeny was observed in 10 of 20 representative strains of the B. cepacia complex. Three temperate phages and five lytic phages isolated from soils, river sediments or the plant rhizosphere were chosen for further study. Six phages exhibited T-even morphology and two were lambda-like. The host range of individual phages, when tested against 66 strains of the B. cepacia complex and a representative panel of other pseudomonads, was not species-specific within the B. cepacia complex and, in some phages, included Burkholderia gladioli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These new data indicate a potential role for phages of the B. cepacia complex in the evolution of these soil bacteria as pathogens of plants, humans and animals, and as novel therapeutic agents.
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK 2Laboratorium voor Mikrobiologie, Faculteit Wetenschappen, Universiteit Gent, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium#dReceived 11 October 2002 Accepted 12 February 2003.
Ross
R
Langley
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK 2Laboratorium voor Mikrobiologie, Faculteit Wetenschappen, Universiteit Gent, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium#dReceived 11 October 2002 Accepted 12 February 2003.
Dervla T
DT
Kenna
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK 2Laboratorium voor Mikrobiologie, Faculteit Wetenschappen, Universiteit Gent, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium#dReceived 11 October 2002 Accepted 12 February 2003.
Peter
P
Vandamme
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK 2Laboratorium voor Mikrobiologie, Faculteit Wetenschappen, Universiteit Gent, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium#dReceived 11 October 2002 Accepted 12 February 2003.
Rebecca
R
Ure
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, UK 2Laboratorium voor Mikrobiologie, Faculteit Wetenschappen, Universiteit Gent, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent, Belgium#dReceived 11 October 2002 Accepted 12 February 2003.
John R W
JRW
Govan
D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016956:Burkholderia cepacia / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008242:Lysogeny / Q000502:physiology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010944:Plants / Q000821:virology; D012988:Soil Microbiology