The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Reports 4th Case Of A South Asian Bacterium In Georgia

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that a fourth person has been found to be infected with a deadly South Asian bacterium in Georgia in the United States. Health experts from the CDC have said that nearly two of the four incidents have been fatal that include the latest one as well. The fourth case has been identified in the later week of last month during the post-mortem examination. The investigators from the CDC have claimed that all four incidents are linked to each other. They have said that an unknown imported product might be the cause of the infection. The agency has issued an advisory about the three cases that have been detected in the US. The CDC has cautioned health care workers to keep looking for signs and symptoms for a rare and hard-to-diagnose infection that is known as melioidosis even in people who have not visited South Asian countries recently. Melioidosis is caused by a mysterious bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei. Health experts have been investigating the source of the deadly bacteria. The federal health agency has done genome sequencing on these cases that are linked to the deadly bacteria. They have claimed that during the genome sequencing, they have found the B. pseudomallei strains in each of the four cases that have been detected so far in the US. These strains are linked to those variants of bacteria that have been found in South Asia particularly. Experts have said that the B. pseudomallei is an environmental bacterium that exists on soil and water in the tropical and subtropical atmospheres.

The CDC has claimed that bacterial infection is usually found in people who have been to places where the bacterium is quite prevalent. Nevertheless, in the US, the infection has been diagnosed in people who do not have any recent travel history. Scientists from the CDC have said that looking at past infections; shows that B. pseudomallei might be loitering in soils and water in some regions of the US as well. However, the strains that are found in the current cluster of cases are mostly linked to strains that are found in South Asia specifically. Health experts have claimed that not any of the strains have been detected ever in North America in the past. The agency has said that the first case of deadly bacteria has been detected in an adult in Kansas in the month of March that as well has been fatal. A 4-year-old girl has been diagnosed with melioidosis in Texas in the month of May. An adult has been diagnosed with the infection in Minnesota that has been the third case of bacterial infection. Health experts have said that two adult patients have been admitted to the hospital with the infection for a long time before being shifted to transitional care facilities. The CDC has reported that the young girl who has been infected with the South Asian bacteria has been suffering from brain damage due to the infection. In the advisory, the CDC experts have said that an imported product such as food, drink, cleaning items, personal care products, and medicine or an ingredient in one of these products might be a possible cause of this mysterious bacterial infection. Though this bacterium thrives in soil and water, it can be found in contaminated wet or moist products in rare cases.

Experts from the CDC have tested nearly 100 samples of products, soil, and water from the homes of four patients. However, no product has tested positive for B. pseudomallei so far. Scientists have said that at times, identifying the source of B. pseudomallei can be hard as the bacterium takes two to three weeks to turn into an infection that widens the window of potential exposure time. They have claimed that the diagnosis of the infection is even harder once melioidosis takes complete hold of the body. The signs and symptoms of melioidosis are highly differing and vague that is the reason it is called the ‘Great Mimicker’, said the experts. This infection can be misdiagnosed for other severe diseases as well such as tuberculosis. People can catch this infection by having contaminated food or water or contracting the bacteria through a break in the skin. Health care workers who work in clinical labs as well are at a higher risk of contracting the bacteria via aerosolized particles. However, the infection does not transmit from person to person, said the experts. Health experts have said that high fever, anorexia, respiratory issues, joint pain, abdominal pain, chest pain, abscess, weight loss, disorientation, localized pain, and swelling, ulceration, seizures, are some common symptoms of the infection. Experts from the CDC have reported that four people who have been diagnosed with bacterial infection have been showing a wide range of symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, weakness, nausea, vomiting, intermittent fever, and rashes on the trunk, abdomen, and face. As per the latest advisory, that has been issued by the CDC; the mortality rate of infection goes from 10 to 50 percent. People who are dealing with diabetes, chronic lung disease, and kidney disease are at a greater risk of melioidosis. People who are heavy drinkers as well are at a higher risk of infection. The risk can shoot up if the infection remains undetected for a long time, said the experts. Experts have warned that B. pseudomallei is naturally resistant to many antibacterial drugs. They have said that delayed diagnosis and wrong medication will allow the bacteria to spread in the body even faster. As per the scientists, if the infection turns systemic, it will become fatal in almost 90 percent of cases.