Objective      To detect the prevalence and distribution of Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. pseudomallei) in Guangxi province

China

       Methods      Samples were harvested from several locations in Guangxi region in the year of 2007. A total of 154 soil samples and 130 water samples were screened for B. pseudomallei by bacterial culture

and identification by PCR for species-specific 16S rDNA and flagellin genes.       Results      B. pseudomallei was detected in 8.4% of the soil samples but in none of the water samples. These results were identical with those from species-specific 16S rDNA and flagellin genes. All positive samples were confined to 5 locations including Zhongdong

Nanning

Qinzhou

Fangcheng and Beihai.        Conclusion      Almost all positive samples are isolated from places in the south of the Tropic of Cancer and nearby the South China Sea.