Analysis of Genomic Structure in Burkholderia pseudomallei Isolates from Two Endemic Regions: Darwin and Kaohsiung City

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a saprophytic bacterium that causes the potentially fatal disease melioidosis. To investigate potential differences in genomic structure among isolates from melioidosis-endemic regions, we conducted comparative genomic analyses of strains from two locations: Taiwanese isolates obtained from cropland in Kaohsiung City and Australian strains derived from Darwin-imported soil. The Australian strains were generously provided with the assistance of Professor Bart Currie, Fellow (Honorary) of the Australasian College of Dermatology, based at the Royal Darwin Hospital campus, Northern Territory, Australia. This study also reports the identification of novel sequence types discovered through whole-genome analysis.