Risk Factors And Causes Of Melioidosis

Melioidosis is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by bacteria and can strike both humans and animals. The disease is not common in the United States, but is a problem in parts of Asia, Australia, and other tropical regions of the world. However, it can spread to other places fairly easily. The symptoms of the disease depend on what organs are infected, and the length between exposure to the bacteria and the first symptoms can range from hours to years. Some individuals with melioidosis are asymptomatic. Others have infections in their blood, their lungs, their skin, or in more than one organ. Get to know the risk factors and causes of melioidosis now.

Bacterium Called Burkholderia Pseudomallei

The cause of melioidosis is a bacterium called Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is gram-negative, which means it does not stain the violet color of gram staining and resists some antibiotics. B. pseudomallei is found in water and soil. It is related to a bacteria that causes a disease called glanders in equines, and the name melioidosis is derived from a Greek word that refers to distemper in asses. The bacterium has two poles, lives in an oxygenated environment, and is rod-shaped and can move on its thanks to flagella, or whip-like appendages. It’s about two to five nanometers long and thrives in somewhat acidic or neutral environments in temperatures around 104 degrees Fahrenheit. When it is grown in a petri dish in a lab, B. pseudomallei appears in wrinkled-looking colonies that have the odor of putrefaction.

Learn more about the causes and risk factors of melioidosis now.

Chronic Renal Disease

Chronic renal disease is a condition that makes an individual susceptible to melioidosis. It is a long-term condition where an individual's kidneys do not work the way they should. Eventually, the kidneys lose their ability to remove waste products from the blood and allow them to be excreted through the urine. Chronic renal disease is more likely to affect babies and young children than adults and is more common in females. One problem with the disease is that at first the symptoms are vague or absent, and it may not be diagnosed until the child is taken to the doctor for another reason. The symptoms that do occur may be nonspecific, such as fatigue, nausea, fever, and stomach pain.

Keep reading to discover more risk factors of this condition.