Publication: Melioidosis
8
Issued Date
1990-12-01
Resource Type
ISSN
0954139X
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-0025697075
Rights
Mahidol University
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Reviews in Medical Microbiology. Vol.1, No.3 (1990), 143-150
Suggested Citation
D. A.B. Dance Melioidosis. Reviews in Medical Microbiology. Vol.1, No.3 (1990), 143-150. Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/16000
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Authors
Journal Issue
Thesis
Title
Melioidosis
Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Regarded for nearly 80 years as a rare disease, melioidosis is emerging as an important cause of morbidity and mortality in North East Thailand, and is probably underdiagnosed elsewhere. Infection with environmental Pseudomonas pseudomallei occurs during the rainy season, but the mode of acquisition is usually unclear, and the infection may remain latent for several years. Much remains to be learned about the interactions between host defence mechanisms and bacterial virulence factors in the disease. Fulminant septicaemia in immunocompromised patients is the most frequent clinical manifestation, although serological surveys suggest that self-limiting infections are widespread in the normal population. Since diagnosis still depends on isolation of the causative organism, rapid and improved serodiagnostic tests are urgently needed. New beta-lactam drugs, such as ceftazidime, have significantly reduced the mortality of the disease, although the emergence of resistance and late relapses of infection present challenging therapeutic problems.