Association between Burkholderia species and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus spores in soil

Burkholderia pseudomallei, the bacterial cause of the potentially fatal infection known as melioidosis, has a facultative intracellular lifestyle. The intracellular presence of B. pseudomallei in various eukaryotes including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) spores can be demonstrated in vitro. AMF spores were isolated from soils in a melioidosis-endemic area. B. pseudomallei and other Burkholderia spp. DNA was detected in these AMF spore samples, confirming an AMF spore-Burkholderia spp. association in soils which did not yield Burkholderia spp. by culture. This association may explain the environmental persistence, difficulty of recovery and dispersal of Burkholderia spp. in specific environments.