Elucidation of taxonomy and population structure of Achromobacter and Burkholderia strains deriving from CF patients of a public hospital from Brazil

• Grant number: 15/04615-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: June 29, 2015
• End date: December 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Ana Lúcia da Costa Darini
• Grantee: Carolina Paulino da Costa Capizzani
• Supervisor: Peter Alex Robert Vandamme
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Ghent University (UGent), Belgium
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/13455-6 - Epidemiology of bacterial infections in patients with cystic fibrosis involving Achromobacter and Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria, BP.DR

Abstract

The taxonomy of Achromobacter and Burkholderia deriving from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients needs special attention for a precise elucidation. Errors in the identification of those genera and other no fermenting species seriously compromise the infection control measures in patients with CF. Infections by Achromobacter and/or Burkholderia can result in accelerated decline in lung inflammatory response and function. Most of the time, these pathogens are inherently resistant to many antibiotics, and are often transmitted from one patient to another, which makes these infections even more disturbing. Because of the phenotypic similarity between them, identification errors are often reported, making molecular methods essential for identification. It is a challenge to understand the epidemiology, ecology and clinical impact of human infection by these pathogens. As Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) has been shown to be an easily transferable, precise, and reproducible tool for epidemiologic and population genetics studies, this research is needed to learn how to interpret the results of MLST in a specialized center, which may contribute to better management of clinical procedures and possibility of integration and comparison of clinical and epidemiological data obtained in Brazil and other countries. A comprehensive assessment of MALDI-TOF MS for identifying these bacteria offers a complementary and rapid methodology. This study aims to characterize a diverse collection of Achromobacter and Burkholderia strains deriving from CF patients attended at two reference Hospitals in CF using MLST to elucidate the taxonomy and population structure of these genus; and investigate the efficiency of MALDI-TOF MS for the rapid identification of Achromobacter and Burkholderia strains. (AU)