Melioidosis, caused by bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei

[Astronuc]

TL;DR Summary

Melioidosis, aka Whitmore’s disease, has been found in 3 cases in US.

CDC - Melioidosis, also called Whitmore’s disease, is an infectious disease that can infect humans or animals. The disease is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei.

It is predominately a disease of tropical climates, especially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia where it is widespread. The bacteria causing melioidosis are found in contaminated water and soil. It is spread to humans and animals through direct contact with the contaminated source.

https://www.cdc.gov/melioidosis/index.html

And I thought Darwin was safe, but the city and surrounding area have seen cases of Melioidosis.
https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0008659
https://health.nt.gov.au/news/monsoon-rains-increase-the-risk-of-melioidosis

However, this disease came to my attention because of three 'apparently isolated' cases in the US. The CDC indicates that "A small number of U.S. cases of melioidosis have been reported among persons with no travel history outside of the United States, whereas the majority of cases have occurred in persons with a travel history to areas endemic for melioidosis. If the number of travelers continues to increase in countries where the disease is endemic, the likelihood of identifying imported melioidosis cases in the United States might also increase."
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6405a1.htm

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health advisory released Wednesday (June 30) said the Kansas, Texas and Minnesota health departments were assisting the investigation. https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/national/article252508698.html

 

[jedishrfu]

Yikes!

Is it tick borne like Lyme or Rocky Mtn Spotted fever?

 

[berkeman]

Summary:: Melioidosis, aka Whitmore’s disease, has been found in 3 cases in US.

https://www.cdc.gov/melioidosis/index.html

Oh jeeze, sounds too familiar. Signs/Symptoms:

At least it is treatable, albeit with a multi-week hospital stay for IV infusions every 6-8 hours...

 

[Astronuc]

Is it tick borne like Lyme or Rocky Mtn Spotted fever?

CDC - People can get melioidosis through direct contact with contaminated soil and water.

Humans and animals are believed to acquire the infection by inhalation of contaminated dust or water droplets, ingestion of contaminated water, and ingestion of soil-contaminated food or other contact with contaminated soil, especially through skin abrasions.

https://www.cdc.gov/melioidosis/transmission/index.html

 

[Astronuc]

Rare bacterium that causes infectious disease discovered in Mississippi​

https://www.actionnews5.com/2022/07...es-infectious-disease-discovered-mississippi/

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/27/health/cdc-melioidosis-mississippi/index.html

Well, it was rare in the US, apparently until now. Climate change? Adapting bacterium? International travel?

In the CNN article -

melioidosis is now considered to be locally endemic in areas of the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi.

 

[Astronuc]

The fourth person affected by a bacterial outbreak linked to imported aromatherapy room sprays sold at Walmart last year occurred in a previously healthy 5-year-old boy in Georgia, who died of the infection.

https://arstechnica.com/science/202...ho-died-from-tropical-bacteria-in-room-spray/

The tragic new details of the boy's cases—presented by epidemiologist Jessica Pavlick of the Georgia Department of Public Health—have newfound significance for the US. In the year since the boy's death, the tropical soil bacterium behind his deadly infection has been found in environmental samples in southern Mississippi. The bacterium—Burkholderia pseudomallei—is now considered endemic to the Gulf Coast region, creating an ever-present threat to people in the area.

Though melioidosis cases are rare even in places where B. pseudomallei is most prevalent—namely in Southeast Asia and northern Australia—when they occur, they can be difficult to diagnose and treat, and it can easily turn deadly. Awareness of the disease and rapid diagnosis are critical. This was sadly not the case for the 5-year-old in Georgia.

The boy fell ill in July 2021. At that point, the CDC has already issued a nationwide alert on June 30 over three other melioidosis cases in three other states: Kansas, Minnesota, and Texas. Despite the scattered cases, genetic analyses of the B. pseudomallei isolates indicated that they were all connected and that the strain traced back to those found in India and Sri Lanka.

A serious illness if not diagnosed, or not properly diagnosed.

On July 7, a week after the CDC's melioidosis alert, the boy started feeling ill with fever, weakness, sore throat, nausea, and vomiting. Pavlick noted that he had no underlying health conditions and was previously considered healthy. By July 12, the boy was taken to a local emergency department and admitted to the hospital, where he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, which may have obscured his melioidosis. The next day, he was transferred to a children's hospital out of concern for respiratory failure. There, he was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. The next day, July 14, he was intubated. He became weaker and, on July 16, rapidly deteriorated and died.

On August 10, investigators collected 55 household product samples and 38 environmental samples from around the family's large, rural property. All tested negative for B. pseudomallei. On October 6, the family agreed to let the investigators come back, at which point the investigators tested nine more environmental samples and 14 more household products.

One of those second-round products was a Better Homes & Gardens Lavender & Chamomile Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones, which was made in India and tested positive for B. pseudomallei. On October 26, the CDC confirmed the finding and announced that the spray was the source of the bacterial strain in all four melioidosis cases.

 

[Astronuc]

AP News, 9 monkeys who died in Hong Kong’s zoo in 2 days had been infected with melioidosis, officials say
https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-monkey-deaths-f1f72171a207f5a0d709fad9b01a46df

HONG KONG (AP) — Nine monkeys who died in Hong Kong’s oldest zoo in two days this week had been infected with an endemic disease, possibly after some digging work near their cages, officials said on Friday.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said in a press briefing that the animals in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens contracted melioidosis and the disease later caused them to develop sepsis.

Yeung stressed that such infections typically occur through contact with contaminated soil and water and that there is generally no danger to humans from contact with infected animals or people.