ABSTRACT
Burkholderia pseudomallei (melioidosis) is usually found in endemic areas of Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. However, a few cases of confirmed melioidosis indigenous to Puerto Rico and the Americas have been reported previously. We describe the occurrence of a B. pseudomallei infection in a female with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus exposed to flood waters in Puerto Rico. We conclude that B. pseudomallei should be considered a potential pathogen in high-risk patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia and sepsis in Puerto Rico especially in individuals exposed to flood waters during rainy seasons. A more thorough epidemiologic and microbiologic surveillance with environmental sampling may be warranted in the island
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Middle Aged , Burkholderia pseudomallei/isolation & purification , Community-Acquired Infections/microbiology , Melioidosis/microbiology , Pneumonia, Bacterial/microbiology , Sepsis/microbiology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Fatal Outcome , Community-Acquired Infections/diagnosis , Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy , Melioidosis/diagnosis , Melioidosis/drug therapy , Natural Disasters , Puerto Rico , Pneumonia, Bacterial/diagnosis , Pneumonia, Bacterial/drug therapy , Respiration, Artificial/methods , Sepsis/diagnosis , Sepsis/drug therapyABSTRACT
We describe a patient with a non-0:1, non-0:139 Vibrio cholerae septicemia associated with ecythema gangrenosa-like skin lesions. The patient acquired the infection in Puerto Rico. Given the high fatality rate, it is important for the medical community to consider the diagnosis in high risk patients with exposures in Puerto Rico tropical waters