Acute Pneumonia Like Illness and Sepsis in India: Is it Time to Suspect Pulmonary Melioidosis?

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 3; p. e36122
• Main Authors: Sampath, Ananyan, Sukumar, M, Tejaswini, Penuboina, Gupta, Ayush, Khadanga, Sagar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 14.03.2023; Cureus
• Subjects: Abscesses; Antibiotics; Asymptomatic; Diabetes; Fever; Illnesses; Immunocompetence; Infections; Infectious Disease; Internal Medicine; Meningitis; Other; Pneumonia; Sepsis; Ulcers; Ventilation; Ventilators; Virulence; Australia; India; fever; melioidosis; chatgpt; acute pneumonia; artificial intelligence; burkholderia
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.36122

This article describes a case of melioidosis, a severe and potentially fatal disease caused by the Gram-negative bacillus  , in a 55-year-old female in India. The disease is endemic in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Recently there has been an increased number of cases reported in India. The source of   in India is thought to be soil and water, with the most common mode of infection being through skin contact. The clinical presentation of melioidosis in India varies greatly, making diagnosis difficult. The case presented here with a history of acute febrile illness and progressive dyspnoea, with clinical worsening leading to intensive care unit (ICU) care. We managed this acute pneumonia-like melioidosis with antibiotics and supportive care which showed rapid recovery at follow-up. This case highlights the need for a high index of suspicion and increased awareness of early diagnosis of melioidosis in the Indian subcontinent to improve the patient.