Differential intracellular fate of Burkholderia pseudomallei 844 and Burkholderia thailandensis UE5 in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells and macrophages

Background Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) is a category B biothreat organism that causes a potentially fatal disease in humans and animals, namely melioidosis. Burkholderia thailandensis (Bt) is another naturally occurring species that is very closely related to Bp. However, despite this closely related genotype, Bt is considered avirulent as it does not cause the disease. In the present study, we compared the growth kinetics of B. pseudomallei strain 844 (Bp-844) in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) and macrophages (Mφs), as well as its ability to stimulate host cell responses with those of B. thailandensis strain UE5 (Bt-UE5).