[Epidemiology of melioidosis in China].

From 1975 to 1989, a total of 73 strains of P. pseudomallei was isolated from the water samples and the pathological samples of human and domestic animals in 13 counties and cities located different latitude from four provinces Qiong, Yue, Gui and Xiang in China. Serological investigation demonstrated that the geographical distribution of the organism had a significant correlation with the positive rate of antibodies against P. pseudomallei and the native foci of the organisms distributed over the southern subtropical zone and the edge of tropical zone in Qiong, Yue and Gui. In endemic areas, the positive rates of antibodies against P. pseudomallei in human-beings, horses, oxen and pigs are 3.8%-15.2%, 9.1%-18.4%, 6.6%-33.0% and 35% respectively. The investigation results showed the horses and mules infected by the organism would interfere with quarantine of the animals, meanwhile, the meat contaminated by the bacterium would endanger the public health. In Sept. and Oct. of 1989, three cases in Zhanjiang and Sanya of Hainan were reported, two cases died of acute melioidosis with septicemia, another case was the chronic leg ulcers. So, it was predicated that there could have some cases of melioidosis which were misdiagnosed or missed out.