Genomic dataset of eighteen Burkholderia pseudomallei strains isolated from clinical and environmental settings in Malaysia

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a highly infectious bacterium responsible for melioidosis, a systemic disease prevalent in Northern Australia and Southeast Asia. Melioidosis is a community-acquired infectious disease caused by B. pseudomallei, which thrives in tropical regions.

This study presents the complete genome sequences of 18 B. pseudomallei isolates from clinical and environmental settings in Kelantan, Malaysia. Clinical isolates were characterized based on patient outcomes: recovery (n=6), relapse (n=4), and death due to melioidosis (n=6), with two environmental isolates that were obtained from soil samples. Draft genome sequences of the isolates were generated using Illumina HiSeq sequencing technology.

The 18 B. pseudomallei genomes have an average length of 7,823, 977 bp (7,587,408-8,243,305 bp), an average GC content of 67.4%, with a mean N50 length and contigs of 47,798 bp and 2,882, respectively. RAST identified an average of 9,671 CDS and 64 RNAs per genome. A total of 144 virulence genes were identified across the dataset, including bimA, bipD, bopA, hcp, and vgrG genes. Antimicrobial resistance gene detection revealed a predicted resistance profile involving the blaOXA-59 gene, conferring resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics, present in all 18 genomes. MLST profiles revealed ST54 as the most common sequence type, corresponding to isolates USM003, USM010, USM011, USM013, and USM014. The 18 draft genomes also showed a close phylogenetic relationship with other genomes from Southeast Asia.

In summary, the complete genome sequences of 18 B. pseudomallei isolates have been elucidated and provide a valuable resource to investigate the genetic diversity and virulence profiles of B. pseudomallei.