Center of Tropical Medicine & Travel Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Future Microbiol. 2015;10(2):273-81. doi: 10.2217/fmb.14.113.
Melioidosis is a life-threatening infection caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, mainly found in Southeast Asia. Recently, African foci have been identified, although reports remain mostly anecdotal. In Africa, multiple febrile diseases have been erroneously attributed to malaria in the past, and many cases of fever remain mis- or undiagnosed. Vigilance for previously under-recognized pathogens may enhance our understanding of disease epidemiology and facilitate improvement of patient care. Melioidosis may be such a condition. We summarize data on melioidosis in Africa and discuss the future directions for epidemiological, clinical and bacteriological studies. We conclude that searching for old bugs in new places is no academic treasure hunt but a clinically relevant activity to pursue.
类鼻疽是一种由革兰氏阴性细菌伯克霍尔德菌引起的危及生命的感染，主要发生在东南亚。最近，已经确定了非洲的发病地区，尽管报告大多仍为传闻。在非洲，过去曾将多种发热性疾病错误地归因于疟疾，许多发热病例仍被误诊或漏诊。对以前认识不足的病原体保持警惕，可能有助于我们了解疾病的流行病学，并改善患者的治疗效果。类鼻疽可能就是这样一种情况。我们总结了非洲类鼻疽的数据，并讨论了流行病学、临床和细菌学研究的未来方向。我们的结论是，在新的地方寻找旧的病原体，不是学术上的寻宝游戏，而是一项具有临床意义的研究活动。
