Deadly bacteria found in continental U.S. soil for the first time
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, environmental samples confirmed the presence of B. pseudomallei in the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi during an investigation of two human melioidosis cases.B.
pseudomallei typically lives in soil and water in tropical and subtropical climates like South and Southeast Asia, northern Australia, parts of Central and South America, the U.S.
Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It can infect both animals and humans through direct contact with cuts or wounds or mucous membranes, inhalation or ingestion.The two melioidosis patients who led to the discovery were unrelated but lived near each other.
Both had no recent travel outside of the United States. They were diagnosed with melioidosis, also known as Whitmore’s disease, two years apart in July 2020 and May 2022.
United States
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Cases: 46 252 513
Deaths: 750 423
Recovered: 0
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India
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Cases: 34 321 025
Deaths: 459 652
Recovered: 0
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Brazil
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Cases: 21 835 785
Deaths: 608 235
Recovered: 0
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United Kingdom
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Cases: 9 215 683
Deaths: 141 607
Recovered: 0
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Russia
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Cases: 8 494 589
Deaths: 237 619
Recovered: 0
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