Health officials issued a warning this week about the spread of a potentially fatal germ to the US Gulf Coast
The US Gulf Coast Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have received reports of three cases of Burkholderia pseudomallei infection thus far. Melioidosis, brought on by the bacteria, can be lethal if treatment is not received.
It is a type of environmental organism that naturally inhabits soil and, in some parts of the world, freshwater. Mostly in tropical and subtropical regions,” stated Julia Petras, who works for the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases as an epidemic intelligence service officer.
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US Gulf Coast
Reports of US Gulf Coast
The most recent case was reported in Mississippi in January, following two previous cases in the same county in Mississippi in July 2020 and May 2022. Melioidosis is now considered endemic to the US Gulf Coast and infections may be seen from Texas to Florida, Petras said. But because most people exposed to B. pseudomallei don’t have symptoms of the infection and develop antibodies against it, many more people have most likely been infected, she said. All three patients who were infected responded to treatment and recovered, Petras said.
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Infection
The most common ways the bacterium infects people are through open wounds or by being inhaled during a severe storm with high winds. It can also be ingested by drinking contaminated water, she noted. Those most at risk for a serious bout of melioidosis are people with diabetes and those with chronic liver or kidney disease or suppressed immune systems, she explained. “Excessive alcohol use is also a known risk factor, and binge drinking has actually been associated with cases from endemic areas,” Petras said.
US Gulf Coast
Effects
It’s very rare that the bacterium can be transmitted from one person to another, she said. Only two such cases in the United States are known. One occurred in the womb and the other was from sexual intercourse, but how the transmission happened isn’t known. The bacteria targets the brain, the lungs, and any organ that has an abscess once it has become infected. “A lot of patients will have pneumonia with sepsis, which is associated with higher mortality and worse outcomes,” she stated.
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Treatment
Petras asserts that prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are essential in the fight against melioidosis. “We have effective antibiotics,” she declared. “What I’m talking about is IV antibiotics for at least two weeks, followed by three to six months of oral antibiotics.” To treat this organism, particular antibiotics are available. The recommended IV medications are meropenem (Merrem) and ceftazidime (Fortaz). The second phase involves taking Bactrim pills, according to her.
US Gulf Coast
“It’s extensive treatment, but if you’ve finished the full course and you’re diagnosed early, which is the really key thing, your outcome is probably going to be quite good,” she added. Petras said that doctors along the Gulf Coast need to be aware of the possibility of a B. psuedomallei infection. People in these areas should protect themselves by covering any open wounds, wearing gloves when gardening and staying out of high winds. That advice is especially aimed at diabetics and others with chronic conditions or suppressed immune systems.
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Results
It’s not clear how or when B. pseudomallei got to the Gulf Coast. But it’s likely climate change played a role. B. mallei thrives in warm, damp areas and was first found in Australia and Thailand, Petras noted. “It’s been estimated that there’s probably 160,000 cases a year around the world and 80,000 deaths,” she said. “This is one of those diseases that is also called the great mimicker because it can look like a lot of different things,” Petras explained. “It’s greatly under-reported, under-diagnosed, and under-recognized—we often like to say that it’s been the neglected tropical disease.”
US Gulf Coast
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