Melioidosis, also named Whitmore’s Disease, is a disease that is caused by a bacteria under the name burkholderia pseudomallei (used to be named pseudomonas pseudomallei). The bacterium is normally found in contaminated soil or water and can be spread to people as well as animals via direct contact with a contaminated source. These bacteria are of extreme concern being a possible agent for bioterrorism and biological warfare.
Melioidosis resembles glanders disease that is spread to people from the infected animals.
Actually melioidosis is most commonly reported in the north of Australia and in the south-easten Asia. The disease is also widely spread in the Middle East, in Africa, in South Pacific and in India as well. The bacteria causing melioidosis are present in the rice paddies, in the soil as well as in the stagnant waters. People are susceptible to get this disease through breathing in the dust contaminated by the bacterium. It is also easily spread if the contaminated soil contact with some scraped skin area. The infection is most frequent to happen during rainy seasons.
There is none to 5 confirmed cases per year in the US. The cases are most common to happen among immigrants and travelers the US CDC (Center for disease prevention and control) reported.
symptoms
When speaking about melioidosis signs first of all it would be necessary to mention that the symptoms of melioidosis most frequently can stem from lung diseases when the infection forms an abscess (cavity of pus). All in all we can say that the disease effects usually range starting from mild bronchitis and leading to a very serious type of pneumonia. So due to this people can as well experience appetite loss, headache, cheat pain, fever, cough; besides in some cases muscle soreness is possible to occur.
Another feature of the disease being described is that its effects may appear to be localized to the infection on your skin (known as cellulitis) accompanied by muscle aches and fever. Melioidosis is able to spread from your skin via blood and can then become a chronic type of melioidosis. In such a way it affects the brain, eyes, heart, kidneys and liver, as well as the joints.
And to top it all it would be very useful to mention that such disease as melioidosis can also be transmitted from one person to another. This fact makes the disease even more dangerous and threat posing for the mankind.