“It is not clear how long the bacterium had been in the environment before 2020 or how widespread the bacterium is in the continental United States. ,” the CDC said in an advisory for the Health Alert Network. The agency asked health care providers nationwide to consider melioidosis as a possible diagnosis when people have symptoms, “as melioidosis is now considered locally endemic in areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast region. Symptoms of melioidosis depend on where someone is infected, but may include fever, pain or swelling, ulcers, cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing, weight loss, muscle or joint pain, disorientation, headache, and seizures . These can develop into conditions such as pneumonia, abscesses and blood infections. It is fatal in 10% to 50% of cases. B. pseudomallei is usually found in tropical areas, and cases in the US are usually travel-related. The CDC says an average of 12 cases are reported to the agency each year. The most recent discovery came when two people who lived near each other in southern Mississippi but had no recent history of international travel were diagnosed with the same bacterial strain in July 2020 and May 2022, the CDC said, prompting sampling of their household products. , their properties and nearby areas. The patients were hospitalized but recovered after receiving antibiotics. The risk to the general population in the US “continues to be very low,” the agency said in a news release, and there are few documented cases of person-to-person transmission. People living in or visiting coastal Mississippi, especially those with certain chronic conditions, are urged to protect open wounds, cuts or burns with waterproof dressings. avoid contact with soil or muddy water. and do not drink water from shallow wells, lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. Get medical attention immediately if you notice possible worsening symptoms. Melioidosis was linked to contaminated aromatherapy sprays late last year. One person died from a B. pseudomallei infection in October that was traced to the sprays.
