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CONTAMINATION OF HAND WASH DETERGENT LINKED TO OCCUPATIONALLY ACQUIRED MELIOIDOSIS

Two mechanics working at a garage in tropical northern Australia simultaneously developed upper limb melioidosis ulcers. Both patients had Burkholderia pseudomallei of identical pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) type (Spe I). Environmental sampling identified B. pseudomallei in a container of commercial hand wash detergent as the likely source of infection, although there were multiple isolates of different PFGE types to the clinical isolates.

Received January 15, 2004. Accepted for publication April 5, 2004.

Acknowledgments: We are grateful to the Royal Darwin Hospital microbiology staff for providing clinical isolates and assistance with identifying detergent isolates, and the Department of Health and Community Services for providing regional field support.

Financial support: This study was supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.

Authors’ addresses: Daniel Gal, Mark Mayo, Heidi Smith-Vaughan, Pallave Dasari, Melita McKinnon, Susan P. Jacups, and Bart J. Currie, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, PO Box 41096, Casuarina, Northern Territory 0811, Australia, Telephone: 61-8-8922-8196, Fax: 61-8-8927-5187, E-mail: bart{at}menzies.edu.au. Andrew I. Urquhart, Department of Health and Community Services, Private Mail Bag 234, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia, Telephone: 61-8-8956-8595, Fax: 61-8-8956-8984. Marilyn Hassell, Royal Darwin Hospital, PO Box 41326, Casuarina, Northern Territory 0811, Australia, Telephone: 61-8-8922-8888, Fax: 61-8-8922-8463.

Reprint requests: Bart J. Currie, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, PO Box 41096, Casuarina, Northern Territory 0811, Australia.

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