After making its way to the country’s Gulf Coast, a hazardous bacteria that causes lethal melioidosis is being closely monitored by US health officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified three cases of infection with the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei, which has a 50% fatality rate. While two instances were confirmed in a Mississippi county in May and July of 2020, the most recent case was reported in January of this year from the same county in the US state.
“It is an environmental organism that lives naturally in the soil, and typically freshwater in certain areas around the world. Mostly in subtropical and tropical climates,” Julia Petras, an epidemic intelligence service officer with CDC’s National Centre for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, was quoted as saying by New York Post.
According to the health office, persons infected with the bacteria do not exhibit symptoms and develop antibodies against it, implying that “many more are likely infected.”
According to the Post, all three patients have recovered.
“This is one of those diseases that is also called the great mimicker because it can look like a lot of different things. It’s greatly under-reported and under-diagnosed and under-recognized – we often like to say that it’s been the neglected, neglected tropical disease,” Ms Petras said.
What exactly is melioidosis?
It can infect both humans and animals and is also known as Whitmore’s sickness. In most cases, people become infected by the bacteria through open wounds or by inhaling the germs during a severe storm.
Those who have diabetes or renal or liver disorders are most vulnerable.
Melioidosis, according to the CDC, is a tropical disease found primarily in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. It is quite rare for people to contract the sickness from another person, according to the health authorities.
Melioidosis can cause a variety of symptoms. The most common symptoms are localized discomfort or swelling, fever, ulceration, cough, chest pain, high temperature, and headache.
It can also induce stomach aches, joint pain, confusion, and convulsions.