Melioidosis in Mississippi

Three patients in the Mississippi Gulf Coast acquired melioidosis and — for the first time — the causative organism was isolated from the environment in the continental U.S.

Burkholderia pseudomallei, the organism that causes melioidosis, is mainly found in tropical and subtropical regions. Most melioidosis cases occur in southeast Asia, but the infection has also been reported in South America and Puerto Rico. In 2021, a U.S. outbreak of melioidosis was linked to aromatherapy spray imported from India (NEJM JW Infect Dis Mar 3 2022 and N Engl J Med 2022; 386:861), but the organism has never been isolated from the environment in the continental U.S. Now, investigators report on three patients who acquired melioidosis in the Mississippi Gulf Coast between 2020 and 2023.

Patient 1 was a 39-year-old man with multifocal pneumonia and B. pseudomallei bacteremia.
Patient 2 was a 62-year-old man with pneumonia, mediasti…

Reviewing Author

Rajesh T. Gandhi, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; ID Images (idimages.org); Infectious Diseases Society of America COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines; International Antiviral Society–USA (Guidelines Committee)

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesHIV Medicine Association; Infectious Diseases Society of America (Board of Directors)

Rajesh T. Gandhi, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; ID Images (idimages.org); Infectious Diseases Society of America COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines; International Antiviral Society–USA (Guidelines Committee)

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesHIV Medicine Association; Infectious Diseases Society of America (Board of Directors)

Melioidosis in Mississippi

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Reviewing Author