Identification of the causative agents of glanders and melioidosis by polymerase chain reaction

Burkholderia mallei and B. pseudomallei are causative agents of glanders and melioidosis, respectively, i.e. severe and fatal infection diseases of man and animal. The computer-based analysis of the 23S rRNA gene sites was used for selecting the primers. Two pairs of primers were chosen for the identification of B. mallei and Bpseudomallei. DNAs from 48 B. pseudomallei and 15 strains of B. mallei, unlike from other geterological bacteria, were positively amplified. Therefore, the method of polymerase chain reaction can be used in laboratory diagnosis of glanders and melioidosis.