Open AccessType III secretion system cluster 3 is required for maximal virulence of Burkholderia pseudomallei in a hamster infection model
Author(s) -
Warawa Jonathan,
Woods Donald E.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1016/j.femsle.2004.10.045
Subject(s) - burkholderia pseudomallei , virulence , melioidosis , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , pathogen , type three secretion system , ralstonia solanacearum , burkholderia , hamster , pathogenicity island , secretion , effector , virology , bacteria , gene , genetics , immunology , biochemistry
Burkholderia pseudomallei , the etiological agent of melioidosis, is an animal pathogen capable of inducing a highly fatal septicemia. B. pseudomallei possesses three type III secretion system (TTSS) clusters, two of which (TTSS1 and TTSS2) are homologous to the TTSS of the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum , and one (TTSS3) is homologous to the Salmonella SPI‐1 mammalian pathogenicity island. We have demonstrated that TTSS3 is required for the full virulence of B. pseudomallei in a hamster model of infection. We have also examined the virulence of B. pseudomallei mutants deficient in several putative TTSS3 effector molecules, and found no significant attenuation of B. pseudomallei virulence in the hamster model.