Dry-season outbreak of melioidosis in Western Australia

Inglis, Timothy J. J.; Garrow, Stuart C; Adams, Claire; Henderson, Mandy; Mayo, Mark

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(05)61047-1

Cited by 28 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…3,4,6-8 It was previously indicated that local drinking water or seawater could have contributed to an outbreak of melioidosis. 2,11,14 In that outbreak, the implicated water supply was drinking water of extreme acidity (pH = 3.5-4.0). The affected community was close to the sea, so the surface water was contaminated by seawater.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mid-day temperatures were around 42°C in the shade, and nighttime temperatures rarely fell below 20°C at that time of year. 2,11,14 In the present study, we examined B. pseudomallei survival by varying the temperature, pH, and salt concentration of the suspending liquid to simulate the physical environment encountered by B. pseudomallei at the time of the melioidosis outbreak.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further survival studies were conducted for a similar period of time under conditions of varying pH, temperature, or salt concentration as suggested by the original outbreak investigations. 2,11 To inoculate the solution under investigation, 10 6 CFU/mL of washed B. pseudomallei NCTC 10276, NCTC 13177, or DM98 were used. At 0, 1, 2, 5, and 8 hours and 1, 2, 5, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after inoculation, a 100-μL aliquot was aseptically removed from each of the 5-mL experimental cultures.…”

Section: Bacteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our previous studies on B. pseudomallei survival in chlorine-treated water focused on potable water treatment because of concerns about the adequacy of water treatment during an investigation into an outbreak of melioidosis in Western Australia (WA). 3,4,11 None of the studies cited above dealt with bacterial survival in the range of waters potentially relevant to known waterrelated outbreaks 1,12,13 nor the other environmental variables (temperature range, pH, and NaCl concentration) highlighted as potential environmental contributors during the investigation of one specific outbreak. 2,11,14 The aim of this study was to investigate the viability and persistence of B. pseudomallei in a liquid environment with particular reference to fresh potable water, seawater, rainwater, temperature, and pH variation to understand the role these factors might play in raising or lowering the threat of environmental exposure to B. pseudomallei and therefore, to subsequent development of disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Survival of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Liquid Media

Robertson¹,

Levy²,

Sagripanti³

et al. 2010

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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We studied the effect of environmental parameters on the survival of Burkholderia pseudomallei. There was a small increase in bacterial count for up to 28 days in sterilized distilled water or rain water, in water at 20°C or 40°C, and in buffered solutions of pH 4 or higher. Counts of culturable B. pseudomallei declined at pH 3, in the presence of seawater or water with concentrations of 4% salt or higher, and under refrigeration. The morphological appearances of B. pseudomallei changed under conditions that maintained culturable numbers from bacilli to coccoid cells and spiral forms under pH or salt stress. These observations indicate that B. pseudomallei can endure nutrient-depleted environments as well as a wide range of pH, salt concentrations, and temperatures for periods of up to 28 days. The relative stability of B. pseudomallei under these conditions underlines the tenacity of this species and its potential for natural dispersal in water: in surface water collections, in managed water distribution systems, and through rainfall. These survival properties help explain the recent expansion of the known melioidosis endemic zone in Australia and may have played a part in recent melioidosis outbreaks.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Bacteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Survival of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Liquid Media

Robertson¹,

Levy²,

Sagripanti³

et al. 2010

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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show abstract

“…It should also be remembered that these methods need prior development and rehearsal by a regional public health reference laboratory in concert with environmental health officers, biologists and public health physicians. Best results will be obtained when all the public health stakeholders are able to prepare, plan, rehearse and deploy as a team effort, as was evidenced by investigations in Western Australia in 1997 and 1998 [23,27], and in Ceará, Brazil in 2004 and 2005 [25]. In both cases, a high degree of interagency cooperation was achieved by exemplary public health leadership and advocacy at an executive level.…”

Section: Environmental Health Investigationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The public health implications of melioidosis

Inglis¹,

Sousa²

2009

Braz J Infect Dis

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Melioidosis, which is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a potentially fatal tropical infection, little known outside its main endemic zone of Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Though it has received more attention in recent years on account of its claimed suitability as a biological weapon agent, the principal threat from melioidosis is a result of naturally occurring events. Occasional case clusters, sporadic cases outside the known endemic zone and infections in unusual demographic groups highlight a changing epidemiology. As melioidosis is the result of an environmental encounter and not person-to-person transmission, subtle changes in its epidemiology indicate a role environmental factors, such as man-made disturbances of soil and surface water. These have implications for travel, occupational and tropical medicine and in particular for risk assessment and prevention. Practical problems with definitive laboratory diagnosis, antibiotic treatment and the current lack of a vaccine underline the need for prevention through exposure avoidance and other environmental health measures. It is likely that the increasing population burden of the tropical zone and extraction of resources from the humid tropics will increase the prevalence of melioidosis. Climate change-driven extreme weather events will both increase the prevalence of infection and gradually extend its main endemic zone.

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The Genus Burkholderia

Woods¹,

Sokol²

2006

The Prokaryotes

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Dry-season outbreak of melioidosis in Western Australia

Cited by 28 publications

References 2 publications

The Survival of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Liquid Media

The Survival of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Liquid Media

The public health implications of melioidosis

The Genus Burkholderia

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