A Case of Prostatic Abscess due to Burkholderia pseudomallei / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by the Gram-negative bacillus, Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is endemic in Southeast Asia and northern Australia, where B. pseudomallei is a soil saprophyte and invades the host through inoculation, inhalation or ingestion. It infects mostly adults with predisposing conditions, mainly diabetes mellitus. The lung is the most commonly affected organ, presenting with either cough or fever resulting from a primary spread. Also, seeding and abscess formation can arise in any organ. However, prostatic abscess due to melioidosis is uncommon. We report a case of pneumonia, and prostate and scrotal abscesses due to Burkholderia pseudomallei, in a 48-year-old man with diabetes mellitus who had a history of working in Malaysia. This is the first report of genitourinary infection of melioidosis in Korea.