ProCite
RefWorks
Reference Manager
BibTeX
Zotero
EndNote
-
1.
Meumann EM , Limmathurotsakul D , Dunachie SJ , Wiersinga WJ , Currie BJ , 2024. Burkholderia pseudomallei and melioidosis. Nat Rev Microbiol 22: 155–169.
-
2.
Wuthiekanun V , Chierakul W , Langa S , Chaowagul W , Panpitpat C , Saipan P , Thoujaikong T , Day NP , Peacock SJ , 2006. Development of antibodies to Burkholderia pseudomallei during childhood in melioidosis-endemic northeast Thailand. Am J Trop Med Hyg 74: 1074–1075.
-
3.
Currie BJ , 2015. Melioidosis: Evolving concepts in epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment. Semin Respir Crit Care Med 36: 111–125.
-
4.
Currie BJ et al., 2021. The Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study: A 30-year prospective, observational investigation. Lancet Infect Dis 21: 1737–1746.
-
5.
Howe C , Sampath A , Spotnitz M , 1971. The pseudomallei group: A review. J Infect Dis 124: 598–606.
-
6.
Goshorn RK , 1987. Recrudescent pulmonary melioidosis. A case report involving the so-called “Vietnamese time bomb.” Indiana Med 80: 247–249.
-
7.
Clayton AJ , Lisella RS , Martin DG , 1973. Melioidosis: A serological survey in military personnel. Mil Med 138: 24–26.
-
8.
Chodimella U , Hoppes WL , Whalen S , Ognibene AJ , Rutecki GW , 1997. Septicemia and suppuration in a Vietnam veteran. Hosp Pract (1995) 32: 219–221.
-
9.
Kingston CW , 1971. Chronic or latent melioidosis. Med J Aust 2: 618–621.
-
10.
Ngauy V , Lemeshev Y , Sadkowski L , Crawford G , 2005. Cutaneous melioidosis in a man who was taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese during World War II. J Clin Microbiol 43: 970–972.
-
11.
Gee JE , Gulvik CA , Elrod MG , Batra D , Rowe LA , Sheth M , Hoffmaster AR , 2017. Phylogeography of Burkholderia pseudomallei Isolates, Western Hemisphere. Emerg Infect Dis 23: 1133–1138.
-
12.
Australian Bureau of Statistics Regional Population by Age and Sex. Available at: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population-age-and-sex/latest-release. Accessed January 4, 2024.
-
13.
Cheng AC , O’Brien M , Freeman K , Lum G , Currie BJ , 2006. Indirect hemagglutination assay in patients with melioidosis in northern Australia. Am J Trop Med Hyg 74: 330–334.
-
14.
Read KM , Currie B , McDonald P , Gordon DL , 2001. Reactivation of latent melioidosis in association with staphylococcal endocarditis. Intern Med J 31: 130–131.
-
15.
Newland RC , 1969. Chronic melioidosis: A case in Sydney. Pathology 1: 149–152.
-
16.
Jackson AE , 1972. Recrudescent melioidosis associated with diabetic ketoacidosis. Arch Intern Med 130: 268.
-
17.
Roques D , 1943. Melioidose post-opertatoire et localisation chirurgicale de la melioidose. Rev Med Franc d’Extreme-Orient 21: 267–275.
-
18.
McDowell F , 1947. Melioidosis: Report of first case from the Western Hemisphere. JAMA 134: 361.
-
19.
Prevatt AL , Hunt JS , 1957. Chronic systemic melioidosis. Am J Med 23: 810–823.
-
20.
Guillermand J , Barrie J , Morilleau R , Couderc P , Baysy L , 1964. Chronic pulmonary melioidosis (anatomo-clinical case) [in French]. Poumon Coeur 20: 269–285.
-
21.
Flemma RJ , DiVincenti FC , Dotin LN , Pruitt BA , 1969. Pulmonary melioidosis; a diagnostic dilemma and increasing threat. Ann Thorac Surg 7: 491–499.
-
22.
Spotnitz M , 1967. Melioidosis pneumonitis: Analysis of nine cases of a benign form of melioidosis. JAMA 202: 950.
-
23.
Wells EV , Cinti SK , Clark TA , Rudrik JT , Boulton ML , 2011. Melioidosis-reactivation of latent disease: Case presentation and review. Infect Dis Clin Pract 19: 161–166.
-
24.
Koponen MA , Zlock D , Palmer DL , Merlin TL , 1991. Melioidosis. Forgotten but not gone! Arch Intern Med 151: 605–608.
-
25.
Mays EE , Ricketts EA , 1975. Melioidosis: Recrudescence associated with bronchogenic carcinoma twenty-six years following initial geographic exposure. Chest 68: 261–263.
-
26.
Mackowiak PA , Smith JW , 1978. Septicemic melioidosis: Occurrence following acute influenza A six years after exposure in Vietnam. JAMA 240: 764–766.
-
27.
Shaaban H , Hallit R , Slim J , Sree A , Sensakovic JW , 2014. Reactivation of latent melioidosis presenting with acute pyelonephritis and bacteremia. Avicenna J Med 04: 20–21.
-
28.
Zhao J , Yap A , Wu E , Yap J , 2020. A mimic of bronchogenic carcinoma – Pulmonary melioidosis. Respir Med Case Rep 29: 101006.
-
29.
Gulati U , Nanduri AC , Juneja P , Kaufman D , Elrod MG , Kolton CB , Gee JE , Garafalo K , Blaney DD , 2022. Case report: A fatal case of latent melioidosis activated by COVID-19. Am J Trop Med Hyg 106: 1170–1172.
-
30.
Pirofski L , Casadevall A , 2020. The state of latency in microbial pathogenesis. J Clin Invest 130: 4525–4531.
-
31.
Wiersinga WJ , Virk HS , Torres AG , Currie BJ , Peacock SJ , Dance DAB , Limmathurotsakul D , 2018. Melioidosis. Nat Rev Dis Primers 4: 17107.
-
32.
Casadevall A , Pirofski L , 2003. The damage-response framework of microbial pathogenesis. Nat Rev Microbiol 1: 17–24.
-
33.
Cancino-Muñoz I et al., 2022. Population-based sequencing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals how current population dynamics are shaped by past epidemics. eLife 11: e76605.
-
34.
Chierakul W , Wuthiekanun V , Chaowagul W , Amornchai P , Cheng AC , White NJ , Day NP , Peacock SJ , 2005. Short report: Disease severity and outcome of melioidosis in HIV coinfected individuals. Am J Trop Med Hyg 73: 1165–1166.
-
35.
Vadivelu J , Eu LC , Chin KF , Ong KC , Pailoor J , Vadivelu J , Wong KT , 2016. Incidental splenic granuloma due to Burkholderia pseudomallei: A case of asymptomatic latent melioidosis? Am J Trop Med Hyg 94: 522–524.
| Past two years | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1820 | 1771 | 87 |
| Full Text Views | 156 | 152 | 7 |
| PDF Downloads | 121 | 116 | 7 |
Melioidosis and Activation from Latency: The “Time Bomb” Has Not Occurred
Matthew Howes
Matthew Howes
Infectious Diseases Department, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia;
Search for other papers by Matthew Howes in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Matthew Howes in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Bart J. Currie
Bart J. Currie
Infectious Diseases Department, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia;
Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Search for other papers by Bart J. Currie in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Search for other papers by Bart J. Currie in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
ABSTRACT.
Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis has long been considered able to exist in a latent form. Seropositivity among U.S. soldiers returning from the Vietnam conflict led to melioidosis being dubbed “the Vietnamese time bomb.” Cases assigned to “(re)activation from latency” over 30 years of the Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study (DPMS) were reviewed and reassessed and additional cases from DPMS years 31–34 were added. Historical reports of melioidosis attributed to activation from latency were reviewed. Some earlier DPMS cases and most historical cases described as activation from latency more accurately reflect undiagnosed chronic melioidosis, often with relapsing–remitting courses, rather than truly latent, asymptomatic infection. Such protracted disease should now be diagnosable much earlier, provided melioidosis is considered and laboratory facilities are available. The longest plausible duration of asymptomatic latency remains 29 years. In conclusion, activation from latency is a rare event in melioidosis, accounting in our analysis for under 3% of DPMS cases, consistent with why the Vietnamese time bomb never eventuated.
Author Notes
Authors’ addresses: Matthew Howes, Infectious Diseases Department, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, NT, Australia, E-mail: howsey@gmail.com. Bart J. Currie, Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia, and Infectious Diseases Department, Royal Darwin Hospital and Northern Territory Medical Program, Darwin, NT, Australia, E-mail: bart.currie@menzies.edu.au.
ProCite
RefWorks
Reference Manager
BibTeX
Zotero
EndNote
-
1.
Meumann EM , Limmathurotsakul D , Dunachie SJ , Wiersinga WJ , Currie BJ , 2024. Burkholderia pseudomallei and melioidosis. Nat Rev Microbiol 22: 155–169.
-
2.
Wuthiekanun V , Chierakul W , Langa S , Chaowagul W , Panpitpat C , Saipan P , Thoujaikong T , Day NP , Peacock SJ , 2006. Development of antibodies to Burkholderia pseudomallei during childhood in melioidosis-endemic northeast Thailand. Am J Trop Med Hyg 74: 1074–1075.
-
3.
Currie BJ , 2015. Melioidosis: Evolving concepts in epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment. Semin Respir Crit Care Med 36: 111–125.
-
4.
Currie BJ et al., 2021. The Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study: A 30-year prospective, observational investigation. Lancet Infect Dis 21: 1737–1746.
-
5.
Howe C , Sampath A , Spotnitz M , 1971. The pseudomallei group: A review. J Infect Dis 124: 598–606.
-
6.
Goshorn RK , 1987. Recrudescent pulmonary melioidosis. A case report involving the so-called “Vietnamese time bomb.” Indiana Med 80: 247–249.
-
7.
Clayton AJ , Lisella RS , Martin DG , 1973. Melioidosis: A serological survey in military personnel. Mil Med 138: 24–26.
-
8.
Chodimella U , Hoppes WL , Whalen S , Ognibene AJ , Rutecki GW , 1997. Septicemia and suppuration in a Vietnam veteran. Hosp Pract (1995) 32: 219–221.
-
9.
Kingston CW , 1971. Chronic or latent melioidosis. Med J Aust 2: 618–621.
-
10.
Ngauy V , Lemeshev Y , Sadkowski L , Crawford G , 2005. Cutaneous melioidosis in a man who was taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese during World War II. J Clin Microbiol 43: 970–972.
-
11.
Gee JE , Gulvik CA , Elrod MG , Batra D , Rowe LA , Sheth M , Hoffmaster AR , 2017. Phylogeography of Burkholderia pseudomallei Isolates, Western Hemisphere. Emerg Infect Dis 23: 1133–1138.
-
12.
Australian Bureau of Statistics Regional Population by Age and Sex. Available at: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/regional-population-age-and-sex/latest-release. Accessed January 4, 2024.
-
13.
Cheng AC , O’Brien M , Freeman K , Lum G , Currie BJ , 2006. Indirect hemagglutination assay in patients with melioidosis in northern Australia. Am J Trop Med Hyg 74: 330–334.
-
14.
Read KM , Currie B , McDonald P , Gordon DL , 2001. Reactivation of latent melioidosis in association with staphylococcal endocarditis. Intern Med J 31: 130–131.
-
15.
Newland RC , 1969. Chronic melioidosis: A case in Sydney. Pathology 1: 149–152.
-
16.
Jackson AE , 1972. Recrudescent melioidosis associated with diabetic ketoacidosis. Arch Intern Med 130: 268.
-
17.
Roques D , 1943. Melioidose post-opertatoire et localisation chirurgicale de la melioidose. Rev Med Franc d’Extreme-Orient 21: 267–275.
-
18.
McDowell F , 1947. Melioidosis: Report of first case from the Western Hemisphere. JAMA 134: 361.
-
19.
Prevatt AL , Hunt JS , 1957. Chronic systemic melioidosis. Am J Med 23: 810–823.
-
20.
Guillermand J , Barrie J , Morilleau R , Couderc P , Baysy L , 1964. Chronic pulmonary melioidosis (anatomo-clinical case) [in French]. Poumon Coeur 20: 269–285.
-
21.
Flemma RJ , DiVincenti FC , Dotin LN , Pruitt BA , 1969. Pulmonary melioidosis; a diagnostic dilemma and increasing threat. Ann Thorac Surg 7: 491–499.
-
22.
Spotnitz M , 1967. Melioidosis pneumonitis: Analysis of nine cases of a benign form of melioidosis. JAMA 202: 950.
-
23.
Wells EV , Cinti SK , Clark TA , Rudrik JT , Boulton ML , 2011. Melioidosis-reactivation of latent disease: Case presentation and review. Infect Dis Clin Pract 19: 161–166.
-
24.
Koponen MA , Zlock D , Palmer DL , Merlin TL , 1991. Melioidosis. Forgotten but not gone! Arch Intern Med 151: 605–608.
-
25.
Mays EE , Ricketts EA , 1975. Melioidosis: Recrudescence associated with bronchogenic carcinoma twenty-six years following initial geographic exposure. Chest 68: 261–263.
-
26.
Mackowiak PA , Smith JW , 1978. Septicemic melioidosis: Occurrence following acute influenza A six years after exposure in Vietnam. JAMA 240: 764–766.
-
27.
Shaaban H , Hallit R , Slim J , Sree A , Sensakovic JW , 2014. Reactivation of latent melioidosis presenting with acute pyelonephritis and bacteremia. Avicenna J Med 04: 20–21.
-
28.
Zhao J , Yap A , Wu E , Yap J , 2020. A mimic of bronchogenic carcinoma – Pulmonary melioidosis. Respir Med Case Rep 29: 101006.
-
29.
Gulati U , Nanduri AC , Juneja P , Kaufman D , Elrod MG , Kolton CB , Gee JE , Garafalo K , Blaney DD , 2022. Case report: A fatal case of latent melioidosis activated by COVID-19. Am J Trop Med Hyg 106: 1170–1172.
-
30.
Pirofski L , Casadevall A , 2020. The state of latency in microbial pathogenesis. J Clin Invest 130: 4525–4531.
-
31.
Wiersinga WJ , Virk HS , Torres AG , Currie BJ , Peacock SJ , Dance DAB , Limmathurotsakul D , 2018. Melioidosis. Nat Rev Dis Primers 4: 17107.
-
32.
Casadevall A , Pirofski L , 2003. The damage-response framework of microbial pathogenesis. Nat Rev Microbiol 1: 17–24.
-
33.
Cancino-Muñoz I et al., 2022. Population-based sequencing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals how current population dynamics are shaped by past epidemics. eLife 11: e76605.
-
34.
Chierakul W , Wuthiekanun V , Chaowagul W , Amornchai P , Cheng AC , White NJ , Day NP , Peacock SJ , 2005. Short report: Disease severity and outcome of melioidosis in HIV coinfected individuals. Am J Trop Med Hyg 73: 1165–1166.
-
35.
Vadivelu J , Eu LC , Chin KF , Ong KC , Pailoor J , Vadivelu J , Wong KT , 2016. Incidental splenic granuloma due to Burkholderia pseudomallei: A case of asymptomatic latent melioidosis? Am J Trop Med Hyg 94: 522–524.
| Past two years | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1820 | 1771 | 87 |
| Full Text Views | 156 | 152 | 7 |
| PDF Downloads | 121 | 116 | 7 |