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. 1994 Oct;113(2):307–312. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800051736

Pseudomonas pseudomallei isolates collected over 25 years from a non-tropical endemic focus show clonality on the basis of ribotyping.

B Currie 1, H Smith-Vaughan 1, C Golledge 1, N Buller 1, K S Sriprakash 1, D J Kemp 1
PMCID: PMC2271530  PMID: 7523158

Abstract

Between 1966 and 1991, melioidosis, a disease caused by Pseudomonas pseudomallei that is mostly confined to tropical regions, occurred in farm animals and a farmer in temperate south-west Western Australia. Using an Escherichia coli probe containing a ribosomal RNA operon, P. pseudomallei DNA from isolates from 8 animals, a soil sample and the human case showed an identical ribotype on Southern blotting. The ribotype was different from the 3 commonest ribotypes seen in tropical Australia. This molecular typing supports the theory of clonal introduction of P. pseudomallei into a non-endemic region, with environmental contamination, local dissemination and persistence over 25 years. As melioidosis is often fatal in humans, such persistence in a temperate region is cause for concern.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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