Melioidosis is an emerging disease in India. Cases have also been reported from South East Asia, Australia and Japan. Major risk factors for melioidosis are diabetes mellitus, preexisting renal disease and thalassemia. Exposure to contaminated soil and water are also significant occupational hazards associated with the disease. A patient with diabetes of six years duration on regular medication presented with fever, generalised myalgia and headache for a week. Blood and bone marrow culture yielded Burkholderia pseudomallei. A Computed tomography (CT) study of the thorax also revealed multiple scattered nodules in both lungs. The patient was treated with imipenem and doxycycline. His condition improved gradually and he was advised oral sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and doxycycline for a period of three months and has been followed up regularly.

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Collagen is the most common structural protein pertinent to the skin and other tissues in humans. The market for collagen extends from food, cosmetics to therapeutics and is estimated to be $6.63 billion by 2025. Piranha and Rohu are some of the primarily consumed fish varieties in South India and the extraction of collagen from the scales of Piranha is reported for the first time through this study. Physical, biochemical, and morphological properties of the collagen extracted were compared with a freshwater variant, Rohu. The UV, IR spectra, amino acid, SDS PAGE analysis confirmed the presence of triple helical native conformation. Further, higher degree of solubility was observed at low pH and salt concentrations. The Td was 38.27 and 37.4°C and Tm was 92.37 and 94.04°C for the scale collagen of Piranha and Rohu respectively and was comparable to bovine sources. Electron micrograph presented loose, parallel oriented long fibers with interconnected fibrils. Hence the collagen extracted, having retained the helical conformation and higher thermal stability, can be a safe alternative for various biomedical applications.