Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a gram-negative bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei.[1] Most people exposed to B. pseudomallei experience no symptoms; however, those who do experience symptoms have signs and symptoms that range from mild, such as fever and skin changes, to severe with pneumonia, abscesses, and septic shock that could cause death.[1] Approximately 10% of people with melioidosis develop symptoms that last longer than two months, termed "chronic melioidosis".[1]
Humans are infected with B. pseudomallei by contact with contaminated soil or water. The bacteria enter the body through wounds, inhalation, or ingestion. Person-to-person or animal-to-human transmission is extremely rare.[1] The infection is constantly present in Southeast Asia particularly in northeast Thailand and northern Australia.[1] In temperate countries such as Europe and the United States, melioidosis cases are usually imported from countries where melioidosis is endemic.[3] The signs and symptoms of melioidosis resemble tuberculosis and misdiagnosis is common.[2] Diagnosis is usually confirmed by the growth of B. pseudomallei from an infected person's blood or other bodily fluid such as pus, sputum, and urine.[1] Those with melioidosis are treated first with an "intensive phase" course of intravenous antibiotics (most commonly ceftazidime) followed by a several-month treatment course of co-trimoxazole.[1] In countries with the advanced healthcare system, approximately 10% of people with melioidosis die from the disease. In less developed countries, the death rate could reach 40%.[1]
Efforts to prevent melioidosis include: wearing protective gear while handling contaminated water or soil, practising hand hygiene, drinking boiled water, and avoiding direct contact with soil, water, or heavy rain.[1] There is little evidence in supporting the use of melioidosis prophylaxis in humans. The antibiotic co-trimoxazole is used as a preventative only for individuals at high risk for getting the disease after being exposed to the bacteria in laboratory settings.[1] One study conducted in 2018 determined that the drug could be useful in preventing melioidosis in high-risk renal failure patients undergoing haemodialysis.[4] There is no approved vaccine for melioidosis.[1]
Approximately 165,000 people are infected by melioidosis per year, resulting in about 89,000 deaths, based on a mathematical model published in 2016.[5] Diabetes is a major risk factor for melioidosis; over half of melioidosis cases are in people with diabetes.[1] Increased rainfall and severe weather events such as thunderstorms are associated with an increased number of melioidosis cases in endemic areas.[2]
^ abcCite error: The named reference Yi 2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Currie 2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Majoni SW, Hughes JT, Heron B, Currie BJ (January 2018). "Trimethoprim+Sulfamethoxazole Reduces Rates of Melioidosis in High-Risk Hemodialysis Patients". Kidney International Reports. 3 (1): 160–167. doi:10.1016/j.ekir.2017.09.005. PMC 5762962. PMID 29340327.
^Limmathurotsakul D, Golding N, Dance DA, Messina JP, Pigott DM, Moyes CL, et al. (January 2016). "Predicted global distribution of Burkholderia pseudomallei and burden of melioidosis". Nature Microbiology. 1 (1): 15008. doi:10.1038/nmicrobiol.2015.8. PMC 4746747. PMID 26877885.
United States, melioidosis cases are usually imported from countries where melioidosis is endemic. The signs and symptoms of melioidosis resemble tuberculosis...
383-416.2005. ISSN 0893-8512. PMC 1082802. PMID 15831829. "Melioidosis". CDC. 2022-07-27. "Melioidosis". New Jersey Department of Agriculture. 2003. Lee YH...
pseudomallei following the eradication therapy of melioidosis. Meanwhile, relapse are those who presented with melioidosis symptoms due to failure to clear the infection...
the closely related organism, B. pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis. During World War I, glanders was believed to have been spread deliberately...
Ceftazidime is the first-line treatment for the tropical infection, melioidosis, an important cause of sepsis in Asia and Australia. Labeled indications...
Krishnaswami, identified Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis (also known as "Whitmore's disease") in opium addicts in Rangoon in 1911...
horses and related animals; Burkholderia pseudomallei, causative agent of melioidosis; and Burkholderia cepacia, an important pathogen of pulmonary infections...
Australian study has shown that the bacterium causing the tropical disease melioidosis, Burkholderia pseudomallei, can also invade the brain via the olfactory...
thoroughbred racehorse Whitmore Stakes, American thoroughbred stakes race Melioidosis, commonly known as Whitmore's Disease. This disambiguation page lists...
picked up something in Hawaii when she went there, and Foreman suggests melioidosis. They start her on an IV drip and aciclovir, which works, until she starts...
also been investigated as a possible cheaper and faster way to detect melioidosis. It is a useful alternative to the Gram or Loeffler's Methylene Blue...
was melioidosis, a conclusion supported by physician Setu K. Vora. Vora raised the possibility that Conan Doyle read the first report of melioidosis published...
causing a myriad of diseases such as anthrax, glanders, brucellosis, melioidosis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, Q fever, coccidioidomycosis, and other...
seriously ill, and before SWAT start their assault. Final diagnosis: Melioidosis 96 10 "Let Them Eat Cake" Deran Sarafian Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner...
infection and accelerate the development of vaccines. She has focused on melioidosis, scrub typhus and tuberculosis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she studied...
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