Construction of luminescence and fluorescence tagged Burkholderia pseudomallei for pathogen tracking in a mouse model

Shin Yong-woo, Park Deok-bum, Choi Myung-min, Chun Jeong-hoon, Rhie Gi-eun
Division of High-risk Pathogens, Center for Laboratory Control of Infectious Diseases, KCDC
Seong Baik-lin
Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University

Molecular imaging of pathogens causing infectious diseases, at both cell and whole organism levels, is crucial to studying the pathogenesis mechanisms of infectious diseases. In this study, we have produced a luminescence and fluorescence dual-labeled form of Burkholderia pseudomallei, a high-risk pathogen, which can be used to study pathogenesis and the immune responses at live organism, isolated organ, tissue and cell levels simultaneously. Using this method, we could trace B. pseudomallei in mice, and visualize bacterial replication in cells. The method is highly applicable to other pathogens, and could be an extremely useful tool to study the pathogenesis and host immune responses of a variety of infectious diseases.

Keywords: Burkholderia pseudomallei, Molecular imaging, Luminescence, Fluorescence