Melioidosis: Can Tropical Infections Present in Nonendemic Areas? A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Melioidosis, an infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an important cause of sepsis in tropical areas of Eastern Asia, mainly affecting immunocompromised adults. Diabetes mellitus is the most important host risk factor. Here, the authors report a case of a 54-year-old Saudi male with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus for 10 years who presented to our hospital with a 6-week history of fever, cough, night sweats and weight loss. The patient was a frequent traveler to the Philippines, with his last visit being during the rainy season 2 weeks before the onset of symptoms. Definite diagnosis of melioidosis was not made because of insufficient facility to culture the organism in our laboratory; nevertheless, a diagnosis of melioidosis was made based on the cumulative clinical scenario. The patient was discharged on trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and doxycycline for 3 months and showed significant improvement at follow-up. For prompt diagnosis and treatment, clinicians must maintain a high index of suspicion for melioidosis in febrile patients with a history of traveling to endemic areas, especially diabetic patients.

Molecular detection of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and torque teno viruses in drug users in Saudi Arabia.

Injecting drug users are at increased risk of infection with hepatitis viruses and blood-borne pathogens. The aim of this study was to examine HBV, HCV, HDV, and TTV infections in Saudi drug users (N = 344). Extraction of nucleic acid from serum, reverse-transcription, amplification of viral nucleic acids, and HBV and HCV genotyping were done using established techniques. Of the analyzed samples, 41 (12%) contained detectable HBV DNA, 131 (38%) contained detectable HCV RNA, and 174 (51%) had detectable TTV DNA. The predominant HBV genotype was found to be genotype D and the predominant HCV genotype was found to be genotype 1b. All the samples were negative for HDV. Twelve samples (3.5%) were found to contain mixed HBV and HCV genomes, 24 samples (7%) were found to contain mixed HBV and TTV genomes, 82 samples (24%) were found to contain mixed HCV and TTV genomes, and 9 samples (2.6%) were found to contain mixed HBV, HCV, and TTV genomes. Identification of various infections in drug users will help the control of these infections in this group as well as in the community.