Isolation from clinical sources of Burkholderia cepacia possessing characteristics of Burkholderia gladioli

Further characterization of 32 clinical isolates originally identified as Burkholderia cepacia by biochemical and fatty acid profiling revealed the presence of 12 strains bearing partial resemblance to the closely related species Burkholderia gladioli. These strains were highly resistant to a wide range of antibiotics including ticarcillin (with or without clavulanic acid), cefsulodin, imipenem, the aminoglycosides, colistin and fosfomycin. They typically produced a red-brown pigment and possessed distinct, although quite diverse biochemical profiles. This reinforces the previous opinion that hybrids between B. cepacia and B. gladioli exist and may possess a significant pathogenic role. It also suggests that further taxonomic clarification is required in the genus Burkholderia.