Burkholderia vietnamiensis G4

The Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) comprises at least nine closely related species which can be correctly identified only by polyphasic taxonomic approaches. Members of the complex are among the most metabolically versatile microorganisms known as they grow on more than 200 organic compounds, fix N2 and carry multiple antibiotic resistances. They are involved in important processes such as biodegradation of pollutants, biocontrol of root diseases but some also cause disease in plants, animals and humans. Bcc strains are isolated from very different habitats, including soil, rhizospheres, streams and infected plants, animals and human tissues, especially lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Bcc strains have large and plastic genomes comprised of multiple (2 to 4) replicons, which is thought to give them their ecological versatility. B. vietnamiensis is known for its rhizosphere colonizing ability on rice, and its ability to fix N2 (PubMed 11375196). It is also the third most frequent Bcc species isolated from CF patients. B. vietnamiensis strain G4 (formerly B.cepacia strain R1808) is the best trichloroethene (TCE) co-oxidizing strain yet discovered, having been isolated from an industrial waste treatment facility at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, U.S.A. TCE and its sister chloroethenes are the most widespread hazardous environmental contaminants in groundwaters. It has been used at a number of polluted sites to aid clean-up of ground water. Besides its pollutant degrading ability, this strain was sequenced because well-characterized members of this species come from the CF lung, rice rhizosphere and soil, and hence offer the prospect for differentiating traits important to each habitat (adapted from http://genome.jgi-psf.org/bur08/bur08.home.html). (EBI Integr8)