Melioidosis: an under-diagnosed entity in western coastal India: a clinico-microbiological analysis.

Clinico-microbiological analysis of a series of 25 patients with culture proven melioidosis was done. All patients came from the coastal regions of Kerala and Karnataka and presented between June 2005 to July 2006. They were analysed with respect to clinical presentation, occupation, epidemiology and microbiological features. No single presenting clinical feature was found to be typical of melioidosis. The disease was found to mimic a variety of conditions, including tuberculosis and malignancy. Burkholderia pseudomallei was isolated from blood, sputum, pus, urine, synovial, peritoneal and pericardial fluids. Diabetes mellitus was the most common predisposing factor and 80% of the cases presented during the Southwest monsoon (June to September). It is probable that melioidosis is highly prevalent in western coastal India and yet, greatly underestimated. Better awareness, both among clinicians and microbiologists, coupled with improved diagnostic methods to allow early diagnosis and hence early treatment, will significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease.

Melioidosis en Costa Rica: reporte del primer caso / Melioidosis in Costa Rica: report first case

Melioidosis es una enfermedad infecciosa causada por la Burkholderia pseudomallei. Esta enfermedad es endémica en áreas tropicales de Asia y Australia y ha habido reportes aislados en Centro y Sur América. Aquí nosotros informamos del primer caso probado de melioidosis en Costa Rica, correspondiendo a un paciente sin historia de viajes a lugares endémicos. El paciente consultó por una bronconeumonía de adquisición comunitaria y sepsis. El hecho que al aislamiento bacteriano sea tan inusual en nuestro país implicó un retraso subsecuente en el inicio del tratamiento antibiótico específico en este caso, lo cual pudo influir en la evolución tan tórpida del paciente. Esto nos plantea el interrogante de si esta enfermedad debe ser incluida en el diagnóstico diferencial de sepsis de adquisición comunitaria en nuestro país

A case comparison of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in homosexual males with spindle-endothelial cell abnormalities and with recrudescent melioidosis.

The AIDS syndrome includes cases of biopsy-proven Kaposi's sarcoma in persons under 60 years of age, or biopsy- or culture-proven Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, or either of the life-threatening opportunistic infections in young previously healthy persons with no underlying cause of immunodeficiency (Center for Disease Control criteria). Here we described the first case of AIDS with early Kaposi's sarcoma-like lesions in homosexual male drug addict and have compared the clinical and laboratory findings with those of another homosexual male having recrudescent melioidosis due to Pseudomonas pseudomallei.