Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

The emergence of a highly transmissible lineage of cbl+ Pseudomonas (Burkholderia) cepacia causing CF centre epidemics in North America and Britain

Nature Medicine volume 1, pages 661–666 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

The rapid increase in Pseudomonas (Burkholderia) cepacia infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients suggests epidemic transmission, but the degree of transmissibility remains controversial as conflicting conclusions have been drawn from studies at different CF centres. This report provides the first DNA sequence-based documentation of a divergent evolutionary lineage of P. cepacia associated with CF centre epidemics in North America (Toronto) and Europe (Edinburgh). The involved epidemic clone encoded and expressed novel cable (Cbl) pili that bind to CF mucin. The sequence of the cbIA pilin subunit gene carried by the epidemic isolates proved to be invariant. Although it remains to be determined how many distinct, highly transmissible lineages exist, our results provide both a DNA sequence and chromosomal fingerprint that can be used to screen for one such particularly infectious, transatlantic clone.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. LiPuma, J., Mortensen, J., Dasen, S. & Stull, T. Ribotype analysis of Pcepacia forn cystic fibrosis treatment centers. J. Pediat 113, 859–862 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. LiPuma, J., Dasen, S., Nielson, D., Stern, R. & Stull, T. Person-to-person transmission of P. cepacia between patients with cystic fibrosis. Lancet 336, 1094–1096 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Govan, J.R.W. et al. Evidence for transmission of Pseudomonas cepacia by social contact in cystic fibrosis. Lancet 342, 15–19 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Sajjan, U., Sun, L., Goldstein, R. & Forstner, J. Cable (Cbl) type II pili of cystic fi-brosis-associated Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia: Nucleotide sequence of the cbIA major subunit pilin gene and novel morphology of the assembled appendage fibers. J. Bacterial. 177, 1030–1038 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Tablan, O. et al. Pseudomonas cepacia colonization in patients with cystic fibrosis: Risk factors and clinical outcome. J. Pediat. 107, 382–387 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Thomassen, M.J., Demko, C., Klinger, J. & Stern, R. Pseudomonas cepacia colonization among patients with cystic fibrosis: A new opportunist. Am. Rev. respir. Dis. 131, 791–796 (1985).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Ramirez, J.C. et al. Bilateral lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis. J. thor. cardiovasc. Surg. 103, 287–294 (1992).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Snell, G.I., deHoyos, A., Krajden, M., Winton, T. & Maurer, J.R. Pseudomonas cepacia in lung transplant recipients with cystic fibrosis. Chest 103, 466–471 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Steinbach, S. et al. Transmissibility of Pseudomonas cepacia infection in clinic patients and lung-transplant recipients with cystic fibrosis. New Engl. J. Med. 331, 981–987 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Anderson, D.J., Kuhns, J.S., Vasil, M.L., Gerding, D.N. & Janoff, E.N. DNA fingerprinting by pulsed field gel electrophoresis and ribotyping to distinguish Pseudomonas cepacia isolates from a nosocomial outbreak. J. clin. Microbiol. 29, 648–649 (1991).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Sajjan, U., Corey, M., Karmali, M. & Forstner, J. Binding of Pseudomonas cepacia to normal human intestinal mucin and respiratory mucin from patients with cystic fibrosis. J. clin. Invest 89, 648–556 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Sajjan, U. & Forstner, J. Role of a 22-kilodalton pilin protein in binding of Pseudomonas cepacia to buccal epithelial cells. Infect. Immun. 61, 3156–3163 (1993).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Goldstein, R. et al. Structurally variant classes of pilus appendage fibers coexpressed from Burkholderia {Pseudomonas) cepacia . J. Bacteriol. 177, 1039–1052 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Dice, L. Measures of the amount of ecological association between species. Ecology 26, 297–302 (1945).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Saitou, N. & Nei, M. The neighbor-joining method: A new method for reconstructing phylogenetic trees. Molec. biol. Evol. 4, 406–425 (1987).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Felsenstein, J. Confidence limits on phylogenies: An approach using the bootstrap. Evolution 39, 783–791 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Nelson, K. & Selander, R. Evolutionary genetics of the proline permease (putP) and the control region of the proline utilization operon in populations of Salmonella and E. coli . J. Bacteriol. 174, 6886–6895 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Smith, N. & Selander, R. Sequence invariance of the antigen-coding central region of the phase 1 flagellar filament gene (fliC) among strains of Salmonella typhimurium . J. Bacteriol 172, 603–609 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Thomassen, M.J., Demko, C., Doershuk, C., Stern, R.C. & Klinger, J. Pseudomonas cepacia: Decrease in colonization in patients with cystic fibrosis. Am. Rev. respir. Dis. 134, 669–671 (1986).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Vinograd, J. & Hearst, J.E. Equilibrium sedimentation of macromolecules and viruses in a density gradient. Fortsch. Chem. Organisch. Naturstoffe. 20, 372–422 (1962).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Mullis, K. & Faloona, F. Specific synthesis of DNA in vitro via a polymerase-catalyzed chain reaction. Meth. Enzym. 155, 335–350 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Sanger, F., Nicklen, S. & Coulson, A. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 5463–5467 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Prevost, G., Jaulhac, B. & Piemont, Y. DNA fingerprinting by PFGE is more effective than ribotyping in distinguishing among MRSA isolates. J. clin. Microbiol. 30, 967–973 (1992).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Rabkin, C., Jams, W., Anderson, R., Stull, T. & Woods, D. P. cepacia typing systems: Collaborative study to assess their potential in epidemiologic investigations. Rev. infect. Dis. 11, 600–607 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Nei, M. & Li, W.H. Mathematical model for studying genetic variation in terms of restriction endonucleases. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 5269–5273 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Arthur, M. et al. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms among uropatho-genic Escherichia coli: pop-related sequences compared with rrn operons. Infect. Immun. 58, 471–479 (1990).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Arthur, M. et al. Molecular epidemiology of adhesin and hemolysin virulence factors among uropathogenic Escherichia coli . Infect. Immun. 57, 303–313 (1989).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Molecular Genetics, Maxwell Finland Laboratory for Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston City Hospital, 774 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA

    Li Sun, Ru-Zhang Jiang, Alison Holmes, Craig Campanelli & Richard Goldstein

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston City Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, USA

    Suzanne Steinbach

  3. Research Institute, Division of Biochemistry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada

    Janet Forstner & Uma Sajjan

  4. Department of Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA

    Ying Tan & Margaret Riley

Authors
  1. Li Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ru-Zhang Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Suzanne Steinbach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Alison Holmes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Craig Campanelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Janet Forstner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Uma Sajjan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Ying Tan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Margaret Riley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Richard Goldstein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sun, L., Jiang, RZ., Steinbach, S. et al. The emergence of a highly transmissible lineage of cbl+ Pseudomonas (Burkholderia) cepacia causing CF centre epidemics in North America and Britain. Nat Med 1, 661–666 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0795-661

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0795-661

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing