Surveillance for Burkholderia pseudomallei in aquaria

Melioidosis, a deadly disease of animals and humans, caused by the saprophytic bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an emerging disease. At present, there is little known about the prevalence of B. pseudomallei in tropical freshwater aquaria. Importation of animals, such as tropical fish, has been implicated in the introduction and spread of B. pseudomallei to new environments such as aquaria. There is a need to develop a robust and defensible sampling and detection plan, utilizing multiple sample types and techniques, to guide future investigations for the surveillance of B. pseudomallei in aquaria. Over two sampling periods, 101 samples were collected from tropical freshwater systems of the Shedd Aquarium and culture enriched for B. pseudomallei. A specific PCR targeting a 385 bp region of the recA gene was utilized to screen samples for the Burkholderia genus, and a real-time PCR targeting the Type Three Secretion System (TTS) was utilized in tandem to screen for B. pseudomallei. All samples were negative for both recA and TTS PCRs. My findings indicate that B. pseudomallei is not present in the sampling at the Shedd Aquarium, likely due to robust quarantine and disinfecting methods. The sampling plan presented here, coupled with a highly selective and sensitive real-time PCR, can be easily replicated for continued surveillance of B. pseudomallei or modified for other bacterial diseases.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Natural Res & Env Sciences

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• DeShambo, Vanessa Jean

Contributors dc:contributor

• Suski, Cory
• Maddox, Carol
• Van Bonn, William
• Weiner, Zachary

• Burkholderia pseudomallei
• microbiology
• aquarium
• aquaria
• surveillance
• fish
• tropical

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Vanessa DeShambo

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115783

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F115783