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Case Reports
. 2022 Apr 6;18(1):132.
doi: 10.1186/s12917-022-03233-4.

First glanders cases detected in Nepal underscore the need for surveillance and border controls

Koirala P  1 , Maharjan M  2 , Manandhar S  2 , Pandey Kr  3 , Deshayes T  4 , Wang G  5 , Valvano Ma  5 , Laroucau K  6
Affiliations
Case Reports

First glanders cases detected in Nepal underscore the need for surveillance and border controls

Koirala P et al. BMC Vet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Glanders is a transmissible zoonotic disease caused by Burkholderia mallei that infects equids and humans. No glanders cases in equids were reported so far in Nepal.

Case presentation: Following suspected glanders in animals with clinical signs in different regions in Nepal, serum samples were tested by CFT, ELISA and Luminex® tests. Two horses and a mule tested positive for glanders by all tests, while two other equids only tested positive by ELISA and Luminex®. Analysis of swabs and pus samples by a PCR system targeting B. mallei confirmed the presence of the bacterium in the samples collected from the 3 equids that yielded positive results in all serological tests. Genotyping of the three PCR positive samples with a SNP-based method identified a genotype closely related to the B. mallei strains circulating in India.

Conclusion: Confirmation of glanders cases underscores the need of implementing a surveillance program in Nepal and a strict control of the animal movement across the borders.

Keywords: Burkholderia mallei; Equids; India.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial or personal relationships with any individuals or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map showing the geographical locations of the glanders-affected districts in Nepal, between November and December 2020 (map source: © Nations Online Project, https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/nepal-administrative-map.htm)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Lesions observed in mules (pus filled nodules and thick yellowish pus discharge from nodules)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A SNP tree of Burkholderia mallei incorporating strains from India and Pakistan within the L2B2sB2 branch (5). PCR HRM clustering results for samples L/157, B/113, B/120 in L2B2sB2_India _Group 2 are shown
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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