Table 2 Strains and plasmids used in this study

E. coli

TOP10

General cloning and blue/white screening

S17-1

Mobilizing strain with transfer genes of RP4 integrated on chromosome; Sm^r, Pm^s

MC4100

K-12 laboratory strain

B/r

B laboratory strain

B. pseudomallei

K96243

Isolated in Thailand from a diabetic patient with a clinical history of short incubation, septicemic infection, and rapid progression to death

DDS1498A

K96243 derivative harboring a 162-bp in-frame deletion mutation in hcp1 (Δhcp1)

DDS0518A

K96243 derivative harboring a 303-bp in-frame deletion mutation in hcp2 (Δhcp2)

DDS2098A

K96243 derivative harboring a 186-bp in-frame deletion mutation in hcp3 (Δhcp3)

DDS0171A

K96243 derivative harboring a 321-bp in-frame deletion mutation in hcp4 (Δhcp4)

DDS0099A

K96243 derivative harboring a 192-bp in-frame deletion mutation in hcp5 (Δhcp5)

DDL3105A

K96243 derivative harboring a 216-bp in-frame deletion mutation in hcp6 (Δhcp6)

DDS1503-1A

K96243 derivative harboring a deletion of the 743-bp StuI fragment at the 5’ end of vgrG1 (ΔvgrG1-5’)

DDS1503-2A

K96243 derivative harboring a deletion of the 894-bp PstI fragment at the 3’ end of vgrG1 (ΔvgrG1-3’)

1026b

Isolated in Thailand from a human case of septicemic melioidosis with skin, soft tissue, and spleen involvement

MSHR305

Isolated from the brain of a fatal human melioidosis encephalomyelitis case in Australia

B. mallei

SR1

ATCC 23344 sucrose-resistant derivative

DDA0742

SR1 derivative harboring a deletion of the 156 bp NarI–SfuI fragment internal to hcp1; Δhcp1

B. thailandensis

DW503

E264 derivative; Δ(amrR-oprA) (Gm^s) rpsL (Sm^r)

DDII0868

DW503::pGSV3-0868; Gm^r; hcp1^-

Plasmids

pCR2.1-TOPO

3,931-bp TA vector; pMB1 oriR; Km^r

pCR2.1-0868

pCR2.1-TOPO containing 342-bp PCR product generated with II0868-up and II0868-dn

pGSV3

Mobilizabile Gm^r suicide vector

pGSV3-0868

pGSV3 derivative containing EcoRI insert from pCR2.1-0868