title: Contamination of hand wash detergent linked to occupationally acquired melioidosis.
abstract: Two mechanics working at a garage in tropical northern Australia simultaneously developed upper limb melioidosis ulcers. Both patients had Burkholderia pseudomallei of identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) type (Spe I). Environmental sampling identified B. pseudomallei in a container of commercial hand wash detergent as the likely source of infection, although there were multiple isolates of different PFGE types to the clinical isolates.
authors.affiliation: Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gal
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Smith-Vaughan
authors.forename: Pallave
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dasari
authors.forename: Melita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McKinnon
authors.forename: Susan P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Jacups
authors.forename: Andrew I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Urquhart
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hassell
authors.forename: Bart J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Currie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016957:Burkholderia pseudomallei / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003902:Detergents / Q000009:adverse effects; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D006235:Hand Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008554:Melioidosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D003902:Detergents