Journal article

Predicted global distribution of Burkholderia pseudomallei and burden of melioidosis

D Limmathurotsakul, N Golding, DAB Dance, JP Messina, DM Pigott, CL Moyes, DB Rolim, E Bertherat, NPJ Day, SJ Peacock, SI Hay

Nature Microbiology | NATURE PORTFOLIO | Published : 2016

Abstract

Burkholderia pseudomallei, a highly pathogenic bacterium that causes melioidosis, is commonly found in soil in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia1,2. Melioidosis can be difficult to diagnose due to its diverse clinical manifestations and the inadequacy of conventional bacterial identification methods3. The bacterium is intrinsically resistant to a wide range of antimicrobials, and treatment with ineffective antimicrobials may result in case fatality rates (CFRs) exceeding 70%4,5. The importation of infected animals has, in the past, spread melioidosis to non-endemic areas6,7. The global distribution of B. pseudomallei and the burden of melioidosis, however, remain poorly understood. Here,..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

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Awarded by Science and Technology Directorate


Funding Acknowledgements

The authors thank P. Wannapinij for technical support and N.J. White and K. Schaecher for comments on the final draft. The authors also thank M. Devine for proofreading. This work was funded by the Wellcome Trust (grant no. 101103). S.I.H. is funded by a Senior Research Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust (grant no. 095066) and grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (nos. OPP1119467, OPP1106023 and OPP1093011). S.I.H. acknowledges funding support from the RAPIDD programme of the Science & Technology Directorate, Department of Homeland Security, and the Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health.