Friday, June 2, 2023 (Healthday News) — A potentially deadly bacterium has entered the US Gulf Coast, health officials warned this week.
To date, there have been three cases of bacterial infection. Burkholderia pseudomalley Reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This bacterium causes melioidosis, which can be fatal if left untreated.
“It’s an environmental organism that lives naturally in soil, usually in freshwater in certain parts of the world, mainly in subtropical and tropical climates,” he said. Julia PetrasEpidemic Information Service staff at the CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases.
The most recent case was reported in Mississippi in January, following two in the same Mississippi county in July 2020 and May 2022. Meriidosis is now considered endemic on the US Gulf Coast, and may be found from Texas to Florida, Petras said. .
However, as most people were exposed, B. Murray People who have no symptoms of infection and have not developed antibodies to infection are more likely to be infected, she said. Petras said all three infected patients responded to treatment and recovered.
The most common way this bacterium is transmitted to people is through open wounds or inhalation during severe storms with high winds. It can also be ingested by drinking contaminated water, she noted.
Those at highest risk of severe melioidosis are those with diabetes, chronic liver disease, kidney disease, or any autoimmune disease, she explained.
“Excessive alcohol consumption is also a known risk factor, and indeed binge eating is associated with infections in endemic areas,” Petras said.
Human-to-human transmission of the bacterium is very rare, she said. Only two cases are known worldwide. One occurred in the uterus and the other through sexual intercourse, but it is not known how the infection occurred.
Once infected, this bacterium attacks a variety of organs, including the lungs, brain, and any organ with an abscess. “Many patients have pneumonia with sepsis, or sepsis, which is associated with increased mortality and worse outcomes,” she said.
According to Petras, the key to fighting smallpox is early diagnosis and proper treatment.
“There are antibiotics that work,” she said. “I would say at least two weeks of IV antibiotics, followed by three to six months of oral antibiotics.”
There are specific antibiotics to treat this microbe. Meropenem (Melem) and ceftazidime (Fortaz) are recommended for IV use, followed by amoxicillin in tablet form in the second phase, she said.
“It’s an extensive treatment, but if you get the full course and are diagnosed early, which is really important, the results are probably pretty good,” she added.
Petras said doctors along the Gulf need to be aware of the potential for infection. B. Murray infection. People in these areas should protect themselves by covering open wounds, wearing gloves when gardening, and avoiding strong winds.
This advice is specifically for diabetics and those with chronic or autoimmune diseases.
Not sure when or how B. Murray I arrived at the coast. But climate change likely played a role. B. Murray It thrives in warm, wet areas and was first discovered in Australia and Thailand, Petras said.
“It’s estimated that there are probably 160,000 infections and 80,000 deaths annually worldwide,” she said.
“This is one of those diseases that is sometimes called the Great Mimicker because it can resemble many different things,” explained Petras. “It’s vastly underreported, underdiagnosed and underrecognized. We often like to say it’s a neglected and neglected tropical disease.”
For more information
For more information about melioidosis, visit: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Source: Julia Petras, MSPH, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Communicable Disease Information Service Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
