| Description: | A closer view of PHIL 12279, this photograph depicts the colonial morphology displayed by Gram-negative Burkholderia pseudomallei bacteria, which was grown on a medium of chocolate agar, for a 72 hour time period, at a temperature of 37°C. What are the symptoms of melioidosis? Caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, the illness melioidosis can be categorized as an acute or localized infection, acute pulmonary infection, acute bloodstream infection, or disseminated infection. Sub-clinical infections are also possible. The incubation period (time between exposure and appearance of clinical symptoms) is not clearly defined, but may range from one day to many years; generally symptoms appear two to four weeks after exposure. Although healthy people may get melioidosis, the major risk factors are diabetes, liver disease, renal disease, thalassemia, and/or cancer, or another immune-suppressing condition not related to HIV. It is important to note that melioidosis is often called "The Great Mimicker" since it has a wide range of clinical presentations and can be mistaken for other diseases such as tuberculosis or more common forms of pneumonia. |
