Glanders Diagnosis in an Asymptomatic Mare from Brazil: Insights from Serology, Microbiological Culture, Mass Spectrometry, and Genome Sequencing
Paula Adas Pereira Suniga,
Cynthia Mantovani,
Maria Goretti dos Santos,
Andréa Alves do Egito,
Newton Valério Verbisck,
Lenita Ramires dos Santos,
Alberto Martín Rivera Dávila,
Cristina Kraemer Zimpel,
Maria Carolina Sisco Zerpa,
Daniela Pontes Chiebao,
Ana Márcia de Sá Guimarães,
Alessandra Figueiredo de Castro Nassar,
Flábio Ribeiro de Araújo
Affiliations
Paula Adas Pereira Suniga
Postgraduate Program in Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science-FAMEZ/UFMS, Federal University of Mato Grosso Do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, 2443, Campo Grande 79074-460, MS, Brazil
Cynthia Mantovani
Embrapa Beef Cattle/Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Scholarship, Embrapa Beef Cattle, Av. Rádio Maia, 830, Campo Grande 79106-550, MS, Brazil
Maria Goretti dos Santos
Embrapa Beef Cattle, Campo Grande 79106-550, MS, Brazil
Andréa Alves do Egito
Postgraduate Program in Animal Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science-FAMEZ/UFMS, Federal University of Mato Grosso Do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, 2443, Campo Grande 79074-460, MS, Brazil
Newton Valério Verbisck
Embrapa Beef Cattle, Campo Grande 79106-550, MS, Brazil
Lenita Ramires dos Santos
Embrapa Beef Cattle, Campo Grande 79106-550, MS, Brazil
Alberto Martín Rivera Dávila
Computational and Systems Biology Laboratory, Graduate Program in Biodiversity and Health, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
Cristina Kraemer Zimpel
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Maria Carolina Sisco Zerpa
Laboratory of Applied Research in Mycobacteria, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil
Daniela Pontes Chiebao
Animal Health Research Center, Biological Institute, Av. Conselheiro Rodrigues Alves, 1252, São Paulo 04014-002, SP, Brazil
Ana Márcia de Sá Guimarães
Laboratory of Applied Research in Mycobacteria, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, SP, Brazil
Alessandra Figueiredo de Castro Nassar
Animal Health Research Center, Biological Institute, Av. Conselheiro Rodrigues Alves, 1252, São Paulo 04014-002, SP, Brazil
Flábio Ribeiro de Araújo
Embrapa Beef Cattle, Campo Grande 79106-550, MS, Brazil
This manuscript elucidates the occurrence of glanders in an asymptomatic mare from Brazil presenting positive Burkholderia mallei antibody titers. The diagnosis was established through a multi-pronged approach encompassing microbiological culture, mass spectrometry, and genome sequencing. The outbreak occurred in 2019 in Tatuí, São Paulo, Brazil, and the infected mare, despite displaying no clinical symptoms, had multiple miliary lesions in the liver, as well as intense catarrhal discharge in the trachea. Samples were collected from various organs and subjected to bacterial isolation, molecular detection, and identification. The strain was identified as B. mallei using PCR and confirmed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a genome size of 5.51 Mb with a GC content of 65.8%, 5871 genes (including 4 rRNA and 53 tRNA genes), and 5583 coding DNA sequences (CDSs). Additionally, 227 predicted pseudogenes were detected. In silico analysis of different genomic loci that allow for differentiation with Burkholderia pseudomallei confirmed the identity of the isolate as B. mallei, in addition to the characteristic genome size. The BAC 86/19 strain was identified as lineage 3, sublineage 2, which includes other strains from Brazil, India, and Iran. The genome sequencing of this strain provides valuable information that can be used to better understand the pathogen and its epidemiology, as well as to develop diagnostic tools for glanders.
