Using Land Runoff To Survey the Distribution and Genetic Diversity of Burkholderia pseudomallei Strains in Vientiane, Laos

Abstract

Melioidosis is a disease of significant public health importance that is being increasingly recognized globally. The majority of cases arise through direct percutaneous exposure to its etiological agent, Burkholderia pseudomallei. In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), the presence and environmental distribution of B. pseudo-mallei are not well characterized, though recent epidemiological surveys of the bacterium have indicated that B. pseudomallei is widespread throughout the environment in the center and south of the country and that rivers can act as carriers and potential sentinels for the bacterium. The spatial and genetic distribution of B. pseudomallei strains within Vientian..