COTTER LAB

BURKHOLDERIA RESEARCH

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a Gram-negative, soil saprophyte endemic to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia and the etiological agent of melioidosis, a severe and invasive human disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. B. pseudomallei infects humans through inhalation, oral ingestion, or direct contact with skin abrasions, and causes disease symptoms that range from localized skin abscesses to chronic or acute pneumonia to fulminant septicemia. Because of its low dose of infectivity, aerosol transmission, severe course of disease, and easy cultivation in the laboratory, B. pseudomallei is classified as a category B potential biothreat agent. Deciphering the molecular basis of the early steps in the infection process of this understudied pathogen will be crucial to the development of rapid diagnostics, effective vaccines and therapeutics for melioidosis. Whole genome sequence analyses indicate that B. pseudomallei strains have the potential to encode several TPS systems and ten or more proteins of the autotransporter (AT) family. Like TPS family members, nearly all AT proteins that have been characterized so far have been proven or postulated to play roles in virulence. We are currently characterizing the expression, maturation and cellular localization of the B. pseudomallei TPS and AT proteins and are investigating their potential roles in adherence, immunomodulation, and other aspects of B. pseudomallei pathogenesis.