TY - JOUR
T1 - Clinical, environmental, and serologic surveillance studies of melioidosis in Gabon, 2012-2013
AU - Wiersinga, W. Joost
AU - Birnie, Emma
AU - Weehuizen, Tassili A. F.
AU - Alabi, Abraham S.
AU - Huson, Michaëla A. M.
AU - Huis In 't Veld, Robert A. G.
AU - Mabala, Harry K.
AU - Adzoda, Gregoire K.
AU - Raczynski-Henk, Yannick
AU - Esen, Meral
AU - Lell, Bertrand
AU - Kremsner, Peter G.
AU - Visser, Caroline E.
AU - Wuthiekanun, Vanaporn
AU - Peacock, Sharon J.
AU - van der Ende, Arie
AU - Limmathurotsakul, Direk
AU - Grobusch, Martin P.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Burkholderia pseudomallei, an environmental gram-negative bacillus, is the causative agent of melioidosis and a bio-threat agent. Reports of B. pseudomallei isolation from soil and animals in East and West Africa suggest that melioidosis might be more widely distributed than previously thought. Because it has been found in equatorial areas with tropical climates, we hypothesized that B. pseudomallei could exist in Gabon. During 2012-2013, we conducted a seroprevalance study in which we set up microbiology facilities at a large clinical referral center and prospectively screened all febrile patients by conducting blood cultures and testing for B. pseudomallei and related species; we also determined whether B. pseudomallei could be isolated from soil. We discovered a novel B. pseudomallei sequence type that caused lethal septic shock and identified B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis in the environment. Our data suggest that melioidosis is emerging in Central Africa but is unrecognized because of the lack of diagnostic microbiology facilities
AB - Burkholderia pseudomallei, an environmental gram-negative bacillus, is the causative agent of melioidosis and a bio-threat agent. Reports of B. pseudomallei isolation from soil and animals in East and West Africa suggest that melioidosis might be more widely distributed than previously thought. Because it has been found in equatorial areas with tropical climates, we hypothesized that B. pseudomallei could exist in Gabon. During 2012-2013, we conducted a seroprevalance study in which we set up microbiology facilities at a large clinical referral center and prospectively screened all febrile patients by conducting blood cultures and testing for B. pseudomallei and related species; we also determined whether B. pseudomallei could be isolated from soil. We discovered a novel B. pseudomallei sequence type that caused lethal septic shock and identified B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis in the environment. Our data suggest that melioidosis is emerging in Central Africa but is unrecognized because of the lack of diagnostic microbiology facilities
U2 - https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2101.140762
DO - https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2101.140762
M3 - Article
C2 - 25530077
SN - 1080-6040
VL - 21
SP - 40
EP - 47
JO - Emerging infectious diseases
JF - Emerging infectious diseases
IS - 1
ER -