Burkholderia mallei

MICROBIOLOGY

  • Facultative, aerobic, nonmotile, slender, intracellular, Gram-negative rod thrives intracellularly by modulating host immune-signaling pathways.[3][6]
    • B. mallei is the agent of glanders, a disease of solipeds: horses, donkeys, and mules.[18]
  • If suspected, notify lab personnel
    • B. mallei is highly infectious as an aerosol.
    • Classified as a Tier 1 biological select agent, https://www.selectagents.gov, accessed 6/3/23.
      • The Federal Select Agent Program lists excluded attenuated strains with potential for vaccine development.
  • Sometimes erroneously identified as Pseudomonas sp. by standard microbiologic testing, B. mallei is morphologically indistinguishable from B. pseudomallei.
  • Hard to see on Gram stain. It grows slowly, best with glycerol [Fig 1].

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Last updated: July 16, 2023