1. HISTORY OF THE BACTERIA
B. cepacia was discovered by Walter
Burkholder in 1949 as the cause of onion
skin rot, and first described as a
human pathogen in the 1950s. It was first
isolated in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF)
in 1977 when it was known
as Pseudomonas cepacia. In the 1980s,
outbreaks of B. cepacia in individuals with
CF were associated with a 35% death
rate. B. cepacia has a large genome,
containing twice the amount of genetic
material as E. coli.
4. GRAM REACTION
• GRAM NEGATIVE :they do not retain
the crystal violet stain used in the gram-
staining method of bacterial differentiation.
They are characterized by their cell envelopes,
which are composed of a
thin peptidoglycan cell wall sandwiched
between an inner cytoplasmic cell
membrane and a bacterial outer membrane.
5. ENVIRONMENT
• BCC organisms are typically found in water
and soil and can survive for prolonged periods
in moist environments. Also relevant might be
the ability to survive attacks from neutrophils.
6. CULTIVATION AND CULTURAL
CHARACTERISTICS
• The organism is usually cultured
in Burkholderia cepacia agar (BC agar) which
contains crystal violet and bile salts to inhibit
the growth of Gram-positive cocci
and ticarcillin and polymyxin B to inhibit the
growth of other Gram-negative bacilli. It also
contains phenol red pH indicator which turns
pink when it reacts with alkaline byproducts
generated by the bacteria when it grows.
7. CULTIVATION AND CULTURAL
CHARACTERISTICS
• Alternatively, oxidation-fermentation polymyxin-
bacitracin-lactose (OFPBL) agar can be used.
OFPBL contains polymyxin (which kills most
Gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas
aeruginosa) and bacitracin (which kills most
Gram-positive bacteria
and Neisseriaspecies).[5][6] It also contains lactose,
and organisms such as BCC that do not ferment
lactose turn the pH indicator yellow, which helps
to distinguish it from other organisms that may
grow on OFPBL agar
8. PATHOGENESIS
• Person-to-person spread has been
documented; as a result, many hospitals,
clinics, and camps have enacted strict isolation
precautions for those infected with BCC.
Infected individuals are often treated in a
separate area from uninfected patients to
limit spread, since BCC infection can lead to a
rapid decline in lung function and result in
death
