Melioidosis

Alternative Names

Melioidosis, Whitmore's Disease

What is Melioidosis

Melioidosis is a contagious disease. It is caused by a bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is passed to people and animals through direct contact with contaminated water and soil. The bacteria are also of some concern as a potential agent for biological warfare and biological terrorism.

Melioidosis is prevalent in Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, South Pacific, Africa, India and the Middle East. The bacterium that causes the disease is found in the soil, rice paddies and stagnant waters of the area. Infection becomes more active during the rainy season.

Signs and symptoms

Melioidosis symptoms cause by lung disease where the infection can form a cavity of pus (abscess). The symptoms can range from mild bronchitis to severe pneumonia. In addition, patients also may have fever, headache, loss of appetite, cough, chest pain and general muscle soreness.

The symptoms can also be localized to infection on the skin (cellulitis) resulting in fever and muscle aches. It can spread from the skin through the blood to become a chronic form of melioidosis affecting the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, joints and eyes.

Melioidosis can be transmited from one person to another.

Possible complications

The possible complications of Melioidosis may include:

• Skin ulcers
• Body organ abscesses
• Pneumonia
• Bacterial pneumonia
• Septicemia
• Meningitis
• Death

What causes

The cause of melioidosis is bacteria called Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is found in contaminated water and soil. People become infectious with this disease by inhaling dust contaminated by the bacteria and when the contaminated soil comes in direct contact with scraped part of the skin.

Prevention

There is no effective way to prevent melioidosis. If you have compromised immune systems (such as AIDS, cancer, etc.), you should avoid contact with soil and contaminated water, especially in farm areas.

Treatment

The treatment of melioidosis depends on the location of the disease. Antibiotics are often used to treat it.

For patients with more mild disease the doctors recommend such antibiotics as imipenem, penicillin, doxycycline, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ceftazidime, ticarcillin-clavulanic acid, ceftriaxone and aztreonam. For patients with more severe disease- a combination of two of the same antibiotics for up to 12 months.

If the symptoms of pulmonary involvement of melioidosis worsen for six months, lung abscess surgical treatment with lobectomy will be needed.