Open AccessGlanders: off to the races with Burkholderia mallei
Author(s) -
Whitlock Gregory C.,
Mark Estes D.,
Torres Alfredo G.
Publication year - 2007
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 - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2007.00949.x
Subject(s) - virulence , biology , burkholderia , microbiology and biotechnology , host (biology) , virology , immunology , bacteria , gene , genetics
Burkholderia mallei , the etiologic agent of the disease known as glanders, is primarily a disease affecting horses and is transmitted to humans by direct contact with infected animals. The use of B. mallei as a biological weapon has been reported and currently, there is no vaccine available for either humans or animals. Despite the history and highly infective nature of B. mallei , as well as its potential use as a bio‐weapon, B. mallei research to understand the pathogenesis and the host responses to infection remains limited. Therefore, this minireview will focus on current efforts to elucidate B. mallei virulence, the associated host immune responses elicited during infection and discuss the feasibility of vaccine development.