A randomized controlled trial of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for the treatment of severe sepsis due to melioidosis in Thailand.

BACKGROUND: Melioidosis is a tropical infectious disease associated with significant mortality. Most deaths occur early and are caused by fulminant sepsis. METHODS: In this randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we assessed the efficacy of lenograstim (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor [G-CSF], 263 mu g per day administered intravenously) in ceftazidime-treated patients with severe sepsis caused by suspected melioidosis in Thailand. RESULTS: Over a 27-month period, 60 patients were enrolled to receive either G-CSF (30 patients, 18 of whom had culture-confirmed melioidosis) or placebo (30 patients, 23 of whom had culture-confirmed melioidosis). Mortality rates were similar in both groups (G-CSF group, 70%; placebo group, 87%; risk ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-1.06; P=.2), including among patients with confirmed melioidosis (83% vs. 96%; P=.3). The duration of survival was longer for patients who received G-CSF than for patients who received placebo (33 h vs. 18.6 h; hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-1.00; P=.05). CONCLUSIONS: Receipt of G-CSF is associated with a longer duration of survival but is not associated with a mortality benefit in patients with severe sepsis who are suspected of having melioidosis in Thailand. We hypothesize that G-CSF may "buy time" for severely septic patients, but survival is more likely to be improved by management of associated metabolic abnormalities and organ dysfunction associated with severe sepsis.

Prospective evaluation of a rapid immunochromogenic cassette test for the diagnosis of melioidosis in northeast Thailand.

A prospective study was performed to compare a rapid immunochromogenic cassette test (ICT) with the indirect haemagglutination assay (IHA) and clinical rules for the diagnosis of melioidosis in an endemic area. The sensitivity and specificity of the IgG ICT was 86% and 47%, and the IgM ICT was 82% and 47%, respectively. These were similar to the results for IHA (sensitivity 73%, specificity 64%) and clinical rules (73% and 37%). ICT lacks clinical utility as a result of high background rates of positive Burkholderia pseudomallei serology in this population. Low sensitivity and specificity of clinical rules is consistent with the protean manifestations of melioidosis and clinical difficulty in identifying patients with melioidosis.