title: Melioidosis and pulmonary tuberculosis co-infection in a diabetic.
abstract: Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis. It is endemic in South East Asian countries and North Australia. Sporadic cases of melioidosis have been reported from several parts of South India. Melioidosis may manifest as chronic pneumonia mimicking tuberculosis and generally be seen as a single entity. We report the first case of melioidosis and pulmonary tuberculosis co-infection in a diabetic patient. The causative agents were identified using standard methods and the patient recovered after completion of the recommended antibiotic therapy. Melioidosis is an emerging infectious disease in India. Though melioidosis and tuberculosis present with similar clinical picture, co-infections are rare. Hence, increased awareness among clinicians and microbiologists can help in diagnosing the disease even when there is no clinical suspicion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Father Muller Medical College, Kankanady, India. dranupshetty@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: Anup Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Shetty
authors.forename: Rekha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boloor
authors.forename: Vishnu
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Ganesh Hosahithlu Keshava
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Bhat