Human Immune Responses to Melioidosis and Cross-Reactivity to Low-Virulence Burkholderia Species, Thailand1

Melioidosis is a neglected tropical disease with an estimated annual mortality rate of 89,000 in 45 countries across tropical regions. The causative agent is Burkholderia pseudomallei , a gram-negative soil-dwelling bacterium. In Thailand, B. pseudomallei can be found across multiple regions, along...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Emerging infectious diseases 2020-03, Vol.26 (3), p.463-471
Main Authors: Rongkard, Patpong, Kronsteiner, Barbara, Hantrakun, Viriya, Jenjaroen, Kemajittra, Sumonwiriya, Manutsanun, Chaichana, Panjaporn, Chumseng, Suchintana, Chantratita, Narisara, Wuthiekanun, Vanaporn, Fletcher, Helen A., Teparrukkul, Prapit, Limmathurotsakul, Direk, Day, Nicholas P.J., Dunachie, Susanna J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Human Immune Responses to Melioidosis and Cross-Reactivity to Low-Virulence
Species, Thailand
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Melioidosis is a neglected tropical disease with an estimated annual mortality rate of 89,000 in 45 countries across tropical regions. The causative agent is Burkholderia pseudomallei , a gram-negative soil-dwelling bacterium. In Thailand, B. pseudomallei can be found across multiple regions, along with the low-virulence B. thailandensis and the recently discovered B. thailandensis variant (BTCV), which expresses B. pseudomallei –like capsular polysaccharide. Comprehensive studies of human immune responses to B. thailandensis variants and cross-reactivity to B. pseudomallei are not complete. We evaluated human immune responses to B. pseudomallei , B. thailandensis , and BTCV in melioidosis patients and healthy persons in B. pseudomallei– endemic areas using a range of humoral and cellular immune assays. We found immune cross-reactivity to be strong for both humoral and cellular immunity among B. pseudomallei , B. thailandensis , and BTCV. Our findings suggest that environmental exposure to low-virulence strains may build cellular immunity to B. pseudomallei .
ISSN:1080-6040
1080-6059
DOI:10.3201/eid2603.190206