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Melioidosis
Part of: Prelims and GS-II – Health
Context A made-in-India aromatherapy spray is being pulled off Walmart’s shelves in the United States after a medical investigation linked it to melioidosis.
- According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The spray was reported to contain a bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, that causes a rare but deadly disease called melioidosis.
What is Melioidosis?
- Melioidosis, also called Whitmore’s disease, is an infectious disease that can infect humans or animals.
- The disease is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei.
- It is predominately a disease of tropical climates, especially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia where it is widespread.
- The bacteria causing melioidosis are found in contaminated water and soil.
- It is spread to humans and animals through direct contact with the contaminated source.
- Most people infected with B. pseudomallei experience no symptoms, but those who do experience symptoms have signs and symptoms that range from mild, such as fever, skin changes, pneumonia, and abscesses, to severe with inflammation of the brain, inflammation of the joints, and dangerously low blood pressure that causes death.
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