Melioidosis – An under-recognized dreaded disease in Southeast Asia
Melioidosis is a disease endemic to India but often goes unrecognized, leading to considerable illness and death. We present the case of a 31-year-old man who had a fever of unknown origin, abnormal renal and liver function tests, and negative tests for dengue, typhoid, leptospirosis, and scrub typh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/tjem.tjem_62_24 |
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| author | Anas Mohammed Muthanikkatt Balamurugan Nathan Amaravathi Uthayakumar Anandhi Devendiran Saravanan Muthu |
| author_facet | Anas Mohammed Muthanikkatt Balamurugan Nathan Amaravathi Uthayakumar Anandhi Devendiran Saravanan Muthu |
| author_sort | Anas Mohammed Muthanikkatt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Melioidosis is a disease endemic to India but often goes unrecognized, leading to considerable illness and death. We present the case of a 31-year-old man who had a fever of unknown origin, abnormal renal and liver function tests, and negative tests for dengue, typhoid, leptospirosis, and scrub typhus. Imaging revealed multiple splenic infarcts. Initially suspected to be malaria due to its prevalence in South India, further investigation uncovered pneumonia along with several liver and splenic abscesses, raising the possibility of melioidosis. Blood culture eventually identified Burkholderia pseudomallei, confirming the diagnosis. As malaria cases decline in Southeast Asia, emergency physicians should consider melioidosis in their differential diagnosis of acute febrile illnesses, especially in endemic areas. Early detection and prompt antibiotic treatment are vital for managing this often under-recognized disease with a high fatality rate. Thus, melioidosis should be considered in patients with unexplained fever in endemic regions, as early diagnosis and intervention can be life-saving. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-56f30b80658b4c0d8cc138d69925183f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2452-2473 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-56f30b80658b4c0d8cc138d69925183f2025-08-20T02:02:05ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsTurkish Journal of Emergency Medicine2452-24732025-01-01251636610.4103/tjem.tjem_62_24Melioidosis – An under-recognized dreaded disease in Southeast AsiaAnas Mohammed MuthanikkattBalamurugan NathanAmaravathi UthayakumarAnandhi DevendiranSaravanan MuthuMelioidosis is a disease endemic to India but often goes unrecognized, leading to considerable illness and death. We present the case of a 31-year-old man who had a fever of unknown origin, abnormal renal and liver function tests, and negative tests for dengue, typhoid, leptospirosis, and scrub typhus. Imaging revealed multiple splenic infarcts. Initially suspected to be malaria due to its prevalence in South India, further investigation uncovered pneumonia along with several liver and splenic abscesses, raising the possibility of melioidosis. Blood culture eventually identified Burkholderia pseudomallei, confirming the diagnosis. As malaria cases decline in Southeast Asia, emergency physicians should consider melioidosis in their differential diagnosis of acute febrile illnesses, especially in endemic areas. Early detection and prompt antibiotic treatment are vital for managing this often under-recognized disease with a high fatality rate. Thus, melioidosis should be considered in patients with unexplained fever in endemic regions, as early diagnosis and intervention can be life-saving.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/tjem.tjem_62_24acute undifferentiated febrile illnessburkholderia pseudomalleiemergency medicinemelioidosismultiple abscessespneumoniapyrexia of unknown originsoutheast asia |
| spellingShingle | Anas Mohammed Muthanikkatt Balamurugan Nathan Amaravathi Uthayakumar Anandhi Devendiran Saravanan Muthu Melioidosis – An under-recognized dreaded disease in Southeast Asia Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine acute undifferentiated febrile illness burkholderia pseudomallei emergency medicine melioidosis multiple abscesses pneumonia pyrexia of unknown origin southeast asia |
| title | Melioidosis – An under-recognized dreaded disease in Southeast Asia |
| title_full | Melioidosis – An under-recognized dreaded disease in Southeast Asia |
| title_fullStr | Melioidosis – An under-recognized dreaded disease in Southeast Asia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Melioidosis – An under-recognized dreaded disease in Southeast Asia |
| title_short | Melioidosis – An under-recognized dreaded disease in Southeast Asia |
| title_sort | melioidosis an under recognized dreaded disease in southeast asia |
| topic | acute undifferentiated febrile illness burkholderia pseudomallei emergency medicine melioidosis multiple abscesses pneumonia pyrexia of unknown origin southeast asia |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/tjem.tjem_62_24 |
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