A potentially deadly bacterium was first found in U.S. water and soil samples, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday alerted doctors and public health experts across the country to take them into consideration when treating patients. urged.
The bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei was detected in the Gulf region of southern Mississippi. According to the CDC, exposure to the bacteria can cause melioidosis, a “rare and serious disease.” He was found to have the disease in about 1 in 4,600 people exposed, According to a 2019 study. The study also found that about 90,000 people die from melioidosis each year.
“B. pseudomallei cannot be removed from the soil once it has established itself.” The CDC wrote in its health advisory. “Public health efforts should primarily focus on improving case identification so that appropriate treatment can be provided.”
Samples indicate that the bacteria have been present in the Mississippi area since at least 2020. was in the area.
Bacteria were previously found in regions of tropical and subtropical climates around the world, including South and Southeast Asia, northern Australia, and parts of Central and South America. According to the CDC, modeling has shown that the climate in southern Mississippi is also suitable for cultivation.
Environmental sampling in Mississippi was performed after 2 patients in that area had received it. One was diagnosed with melioidosis in July 2020 and another in May 2022. According to the CDC, the two, who remain unidentified, were not related but lived in “geographical proximity” and had not recently left the United States.
Genome sequencing data showed that both people had been infected with the same new strain from the Western Hemisphere, officials said. Both patients were hospitalized and recovered after antibiotic therapy.
Last month, the Mississippi Department of Health and the CDC collected environmental samples of soil, water, and plants from the patient’s home, household items, and areas frequently visited by the patient.
Bacteria can be transmitted to animals and humans through direct contact or through cuts or wounds. Officials said the risk of human-to-human transmission was low. Symptoms usually develop between 1 day and 3 weeks after exposure.
Most melioidosis cases occur outside the United States, the CDC said. But last year, in four different states, he had four cases of melioidosis. After using a contaminated aromatherapy spray sold at WalmartTwo of the four died, officials said.
According to the CDC, symptoms of melioidosis are nonspecific and vary from person to person, but symptoms include fever, localized pain or swelling, chest pain, and headache. People with lung disease, chronic kidney disease and immunosuppressed conditions are more susceptible to bacterial infections.
B. pseudomallei is not the only one found in soil that can cause disease.
Valley fever, also called coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by a fungus that lives in the soil of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. According to the CDC, you can become infected by breathing in the microscopic fungal spores in the air, but most people who breathe the spores don’t get sick. notified to the agency Most are from people living in Arizona or California.
