Melioidosis | Research Impact

Описание: In a first, a team of researchers at Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) estimated that the global burden of melioidosis each year includes about 165,000 people infected with melioidosis, resulting in more than 89,000 deaths – equivalent to annual death from measles (96,000) and higher than deaths for leptospirosis (50,000) and dengue infection (12,500). The study found that melioidosis is under-reported in 45 countries where the disease is known to be endemic – and probably endemic in another 34 countries where the disease has not yet been reported.

Caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a bacterium that lives in soil and water, melioidosis (melioid) is a severe disease with a high death rate in both people and animals. The bacteria can enter the body through the skin, or during eating or breathing. Medical diagnosis is quite difficult because the symptoms of melioidosis are diverse and not specific and diagnosis using a serological examination or an immune response to the bacteria is inaccurate.

Accurate diagnosis requires growing a bacterial culture using bacteria from clinical specimens, such as blood, sputum and urine. This requires a microbiology laboratory and experienced laboratory personnel to correctly identify the bacteria. In addition, as B. pseudomallei bacteria are resistant to commonly used antimicrobial drugs, effectively treating melioidosis requires specific antimicrobial drugs.

This research is expected to result in governments and public health agencies around the world: (a) sharing their knowledge about melioidosis with medical and laboratory personnel; (b) increasing the quantity, quality and their use of microbiology laboratories, and (c) improving their national disease reporting systems. Taken together, these steps will help ensure that patients with melioidosis receive correct diagnosis and treatment. Then, public health agencies should consider educating the public so that at-risk populations –farmers, diabetics – understand how they can avoid getting infected.

Taken together, all of these will be able to reduce the number of infections and deaths from melioidosis.


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