ISOLATION FROM CLINICAL SOURCES OF BURKHOLDERIA-CEPACIA POSSESSING CHARACTERISTICS OF BURKHOLDERIA-GLADIOLI

Further characterization of 32 clinical isolates originally identified as Burkholderia cepacia by biochemical and fatty acid profiling revea led the presence of 12 strains bearing partial resemblance to the clos ely related species Burkholderia gladioli. These strains were highly r esistant to a wide range of antibiotics including ticarcillin (with or without clavulanic acid), cefsulodin, imipenem, the aminoglycosides, colistin and fosfomycin. They typically produced a red-brown pigment a nd possessed distinct, although quite diverse biochemical profiles. Th is reinforces the previous opinion that hybrids between B. cepacia and B. gladioli exist and may possess a significant pathogenic role. It a lso suggests that further taxonomic clarification is required in the g enus Burkholderia.