Melioidosis in southern India: epidemiological and clinical profile.
Melioidosis, which is mainly prevalent in Thailand and Australia, has shown an increasing trend in India in the last few years. We carried out a retrospective study of 25 culture-proven adult cases of melioidosis who were admitted to a tertiary care hospital in southern India during June 2001 to September 2007. There was a six-fold increase in the number of cases in 2006 and 2007 as compared to 2001. Diabetes mellitus was the predisposing factor in 68% of cases, followed by alcoholism (28%). The clinical presentations were fever (80%), pneumonia and/or pleural effusion (48%), hepatomegaly (56%), joint involvement, and/or osteomyelitis (48%), splenomegaly (40%), splenic abscess (24%) and septicemia (28%). The organism, Burkholderia pseudomallei, was sensitive to co-amoxiclav, cotrimoxazole, ceftazidime, and carbapenem. The study suggests that melioidosis is an emerging infectious disease in the southwestern coastal belt of India, and it is likely to happen at much higher incidence.
Saravu
K
K
Department of Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Karnataka, India. kavithasaravu@yahoo.com
Mukhopadhyay
C
C
Vishwanath
S
S
Valsalan
R
R
Docherla
M
M
Vandana
K E
KE
Shastry
B A
BA
Bairy
I
I
Rao
S P
SP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008554:Melioidosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors