The deadly bacterium, with a fatality rate of about 50 percent worldwide, has reached the Gulf Coast of Mexico, where it has been declared endemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC has confirmed three cases of infection with the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, which could cause potentially fatal melioidosis if left untreated.
“It’s an environmental organism that naturally lives in soil and typically fresh water in some areas world wide. Mainly in subtropical and tropical climates.” Julia Petras, Officer of the Epidemic Intelligence Service on the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, told HealthDay News.
The last case was reported in January in Mississippi.
Two others were confirmed in the identical Mississippi county in July 2020 and May 2020.
Nonetheless, most individuals infected with the bacterium show no symptoms and develop antibodies against it, meaning many more are likely to be infected, Petras said.
In all three Mississippi cases, the patient recovered.
“It’s one of those diseases that can also be called the nice imitator because it could actually seem like so many alternative things,” Petras said. “It’s vastly underreported, underdiagnosed and underrecognized – we frequently like to say it was a neglected, neglected tropical disease.”
People normally grow to be infected with the bacteria through open wounds or by inhaling germs during a severe thunderstorm.
Individuals with diabetes or kidney and liver problems are most in danger.
“Excessive alcohol consumption can also be a known risk factor, and binge drinking has also been related to cases from endemic areas,” said Petras. The CDC defines endemic as “a continuing amount of that specific disease occurring in a geographic location, similar to a state or country.”
Only two cases of human-to-human transmission of the bacteria have been recorded on this planet.
Once the bacterium is within the body, it attacks organs similar to the lungs and brain, and any organ with an abscess, Petras said.
“Many patients could have pneumonia with sepsis and/or sepsis, which is related to higher mortality and poorer outcomes,” she said.
Worldwide, roughly 160,000 cases with 80,000 deaths are reported annually.
Petras said it is important to diagnose melioidosis early so it could actually be treated appropriately.
“We’ve got antibiotics that work,” she told HealthDay News. “I’m talking about intravenous antibiotics for not less than two weeks, followed by three to six months of oral antibiotics.”
Patients are first treated with meropenem (Merrem) and ceftazidime (Fortaz) intravenously. According to Petras, the amoxicillin is then administered in tablets throughout the second phase.
“It’s an in depth treatment, but if you happen to’ve accomplished the total course and diagnosed early, which is actually critical, your final result is probably going to be quite good,” she added.
It’s unclear how and when B. mallei made its way to the Gulf Coast, but scientists imagine climate change is probably going an element.
B. mallei thrives in warm, moist areas and was first present in Australia and Thailand, Petras said.