Table 1 All bacterial strains, plasmids used and constructed.

pK18mobsac B

oriT; Km^R; sacB gene

[32]

pGEM-tet

pGEM containing a tetracycline resistance cassette, Tet^R, Amp^R

Y. Chen, unpublished

pCLOXZ1

pGEM containing a zeocin resistance cassette, Zeo^R, Amp^R

Y. Chen, unpublished

pT3SS1/upstream/downstream/tet

pK18mobsac B containing upstream and downstream of TTSS1 flanking a tet cassette, Km^R, Tet^R

This study

pT3SS2/upstream/downstream/tet

pK18mobsac B containing upstream and downstream of TTSS2 flanking a tet cassette, Km^R, Tet^R

This study

pT3SS3/upstream/downstream/zeo

pK18mobsac B containing upstream and downstream of TTSS3 flanking a zeo cassette, Km^R, Zeo^R

This study

E. coli

   DH5α

Infection strain

Lab stock

   TG1

Cloning host

Zymo Research

   SM10λpir

Conjugation strain

[33]

B. thailandensis

   ATCC700388

ATCC

B. pseudomallei

   K96243

Clinical isolate

Thailand

   561

Kangaroo isolate

Eu Hian Yap, unpublished

   612, 490

Avian isolates

Eu Hian Yap, unpublished

   77/96, 109/96

Soil isolates

Eu Hian Yap, unpublished

   KHW

Wild-type parental strain, clinical isolate, Km^S

[20]

   KHWΔT3SS1

BPSS1386-1411 region was replaced with tet cassette, Tet^R, Km^S

This study

   KHWΔT3SS2

BPSS1592-1629 region was replaced with tet cassette, Tet^R, Km^S

This study

   KHWΔT3SS3

BPSS1520-1552 region was replaced with zeo cassette, Zeo^R, Km^S

This study