ABSTRACT
The genus Burkholderia covers a diverse group of gram-negative β-proteobacteria, with at least 60 recognized or proposed species. Research to date has mostly focused on the pathogenicity of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei. The Bcc includes more than 20 species that cause serious infections in plants, animals, and humans. 1–3 However, these organisms can also be beneficial toward humans and crops as they fix nitrogen, produce antibiotics and antifungals, and degrade organic compounds. 4–6 B. pseudomallei causes melioidosis, a disease with a variety of symptoms, 7 while B. mallei causes glanders, an infection of horses that is rarely transmitted to humans. 8
