Phylogenetic Relationships of the B. mallei Strain that Caused the 2023 Equine Glanders Outbreak in the Trans-Baikal Territory
https://doi.org/10.21055/0370-1069-2025-2-95-101
Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine the phylogeographic and phenotypic characteristics of the Burkholderia mallei that caused an outbreak of equine glanders in the Trans-Baikal Territory in 2023. Materials and methods. The B. mallei culture was isolated from section material according to Methodological Regulations 4.2.3744-22. Phenotypic characteristics were investigated bacteriologically and using the VITEK®2 GN. Analysis of the B. mallei genomes from public databases was performed using the PubMLST, NGphylogeny, and iTOL v6 resources. Results and discussion. Strains of B. mallei 16050 and 15747, isolated from the horse affected by glanders, identified using PCR, differed in morphological features, but had identical atypical biochemical profiles which lead to misidentification by VITEK®2 GN system as Sphingomonas paucimobillis. Shotgun analysis of the whole genome sequences confirmed the identity of those strains; a subsequent study was performed using a higher quality sequence of B. mallei strain 16050. Phylogenetic analysis based on the results of cgMLST showed the inclusion of the strain B. mallei 16050 in a separate cluster, grouped near the cluster of 5 strains, three of which (B-120, Ц-5, Ц-4) are reliably of Mongolian origin, the other two strains (Z-12 and 10230) have high similarity to Mongolian strains which is demonstrated in the current work. It has been revealed that 87 loci of the strain 16050 have new alleles, which can serve as a marker in genomic surveillance and investigation of imported cases of glanders. The data obtained allow us to assume with a high degree of probability that the outbreak of equine glanders in Chita in 2023 was caused by a strain of Mongolian origin.
About the Authors
I. B. Zakharova
Volgograd Plague Control Research Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
7, Golubinskaya St., Volgograd, 400131
P. R. Chirskov
Volgograd Plague Control Research Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
7, Golubinskaya St., Volgograd, 400131
N. N. Teteryatnikova
Volgograd Plague Control Research Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
7, Golubinskaya St., Volgograd, 400131
A. V. Toporkov
Volgograd Plague Control Research Institute
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
7, Golubinskaya St., Volgograd, 400131
References
1. Dvorak G.D., Spickler A.R. Glanders. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 2008; 233(4):570–7. DOI: 10.2460/javma.233.4.570.
2. Georgiades C., Fishman E.K. Clinical image. Glanders disease of the liver and spleen: CT evaluation. J. Comput. Assist. Tomogr. 2001; 25(1):91–3. DOI: 10.1097/00004728-200101000-00016.
3. Santos Júnior E.L.D, Moura J.C.R., Protásio B.K.P.F., Parente V.A.S., Veiga M.H.N.D. Clinical repercussions of Glanders (Burkholderia mallei infection) in a Brazilian child: a case report. Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop. 2020; 53:e20200054. DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0054-2020.
4. Nasiri M., Zarrin A., RoshankarRudsari S., Khodadadi J. Glanders (Burkholderia mallei infection) in an Iranian man: A case report. IDCases. 2023; 32:e01779. DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2023.e01779.
5. He G., Zeng Y., He Q., Liu T., Li N., Lin H., Zeng M., Li Y., Peng M., Cheng J., Liu W., Yao W. A case report of Burkholderia mallei infection leading to pneumonia. Comb. Chem. High Throughput Screen. 2023; 26(1):241–5. DOI: 10.2174/1386207325666220509152221.
6. Singha H., Tuanyok A., Elschner M., Laroucau K., Mukhopadhyay C. Editorial: Glanders and melioidosis: one health model. Front. Vet. Sci. 2023; 10:1303556. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1303556.
7. Nguyen H.N., Smith M.E., Hayoun M.A. Glanders and melioidosis. 2023 Aug 14. In: StatPearls. [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025. PMID: 28846298. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448110/.
8. Kettle A.N., Wernery U. Glanders and the risk for its introduction through the international movement of horses. Equine Vet. J. 2016; 48(5):654–8. DOI: 10.1111/evj.12599.
9. Zakharova I., Teteryatnikova N., Toporkov A., Viktorov D. Development of a multiplex PCR assay for the detection and differentiation of Burkholderia pseudomallei, Burkholderia mallei, Burkholderia thailandensis, and Burkholderia cepacia complex. Acta Trop. 2017; 174:1–8. DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.06.016.
10. Appelt S., Rohleder A.M., Jacob D., von Buttlar H., Georgi E., Mueller K., Wernery U., Kinne J., Joseph M., Jose S.V., Scholz H.C. Genetic diversity and spatial distribution of Burkholderia mallei by core genome-based multilocus sequence typing analysis. PLoS One. 2022; 17(7):e0270499. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270499.
11. Jolley K.A., Bray J.E., Maiden M.C.J. Open-access bacterial population genomics: BIGSdb software, the PubMLST.org website and their applications. Wellcome Open Res. 2018; 3:124. DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.14826.1.
12. Ichikawa Y., Borjigin L., Enkhtuul B., Khurtsbaatar O., Aoshima K., Kobayashi A., Batbaatar V., Kimura T. First molecular characterization of Burkholderia mallei strains isolated from horses in Mongolia. Infect. Genet. Evol. 2024; 123:105616. DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2024.105616.
13. Molchanova E.V., Lopasteiskaya Ya.A., Neznamova A.V., Kuzyutina Yu.A., Ageeva N.P., Zakharova I.B., Viktorov D.V., Toporkov A.V. [Peculiarities of Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei identification using microbiological analyzer Vitek 2 Compact 30]. Problemy Osobo Opasnykh Infektsii [Problems of Particularly Dangerous Infections]. 2016; (3):57–61. DOI: 10.21055/0370-1069-2016-3-57-61.
14. Godoy D., Randle G., Simpson A.J., Aanensen D.M., Pitt T.L., Kinoshita R., Spratt B.G. Multilocus sequence typing and evolutionary relationships among the causative agents of melioidosis and glanders, Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2003; 41(5):2068–79. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.5.2068-2079.2003.
Review
For citations:
Zakharova I.B., Chirskov P.R., Teteryatnikova N.N., Toporkov A.V. Phylogenetic Relationships of the B. mallei Strain that Caused the 2023 Equine Glanders Outbreak in the Trans-Baikal Territory. Problems of Particularly Dangerous Infections. 2025;(2):95-101. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.21055/0370-1069-2025-2-95-101
Views:
10
Email this article 