Isolation and Identification of Burkholderia gladioli pathovar cocovenenans from Black Fungus and Characteristics of the Bon Gene Cluster - Shanghai Municipality, China, 2023.

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Citation abstract

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC?: Burkholderia gladioli ( B. gladioli ) pathovar cocovenenans ( BGC ), a foodborne pathogen, can cause lethal poisoning. Most cases have been reported in China, primarily originating from fermented cereal products.

WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT?: This study investigated the prevalence of BGC contamination in commercially available fungi and analyzed the environmental conditions for bongkrekic acid (BA) production in Shanghai. The overall detection rate of B. gladioli in the 85 samples was 44.7%. The highest detection rate was 94.4%, in dried black fungus, followed by fresh Tremella fuciformis ( T. fuciformis ) with 16.6%, fresh black fungus with 9.1%, and dried T. fuciformis with 3.8%. BGC was detected only in dried black fungus, with a detection rate of 39%. The results of this study demonstrate that all BGC strains carry the bon gene cluster encoding BA, indicating that bonABCDFGHIJKLM plays an essential role in the biosynthesis of BA.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE?: Diagnostic polymerase chain reaction methods could enable rapid identification of BA-producing BGC, providing a potential clinical risk marker. People should avoid eating fungi products soaked 24 hours or more, no matter the temperature.