SDS-PAGE analysis of whole cell protein and outer memrbane protein patterns of clinical isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei

Objective: To investigate the banding patterns of whole cell protein (WCP) and outer membrane protein (OMP) of Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. pseudomallei) in clinical isolates from patients with melioidosis. Methods: WCP and OMP of of B. pseudomallei in 50 clinical isolates, from 47 patients with melioidosis were prepared and separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) using 10% gels and stained with Coomassie brilliant blue. The banding patterns were compared by using a laser densitometer and dendrogram. Results: There were 6 different banding patterns of WCP and 2 types of OMP. Type 1-5 WCP had 8 common protein bands at 19.0 - 45.0 kDa with identical OMP pattern. The banding patterns of WCP in type 6 were distinct from the others and also its OMP profile. The majority of clinical isolates (37/50, 74%) were in type, WCP. Of the remaining isolates, 8 were in type 2, 2 in type 3, and one each was in type 4 to 6. There was no significant association between the WCP typing and the demographic or clinical features of the investigated patients. Conclusion: Despite the wide variation of clinical features of melioidosis, the results of this study Show that B. pseudomallei had a few differences in the WCP and OMP profiles. Therefore typing of WCP and OMP, using SDS-PAGE analysis, could be an alternative method for phenotypic differentiation in clinical isolates of B. pseudomallei.