Shradha R Gaonkar¹*, Rajesh Naik², Virendra Gaonkar³, Shailesh Kamat⁴, Rajeshwar Naik⁵ and Alka Sagar⁶

¹Department of Microbiology, Royal Hospital, 403601, Goa, India
²Maharaja Agrasen Himalayan Garhwal University, India
³Royal Hospital 403601, Goa Medical College, Goa, India
⁴Healthway Hospital Goa, India
⁵Royal Hospital Director, 403601, Goa Medical College, Goa, India
⁶Maharaja Agrasen Himalayan Garhwal University, India

*Corresponding Author: Shradha R Gaonkar, Department of Microbiology, Royal Hospital, 403601, Goa, India.

Received: January 02, 2025; Published: January 17, 2025

Abstract

Burkholderia pseudomallei, the etiological agent responsible for the potentially life-threatening condition known as melioidosis, has been identified in few farmers in Goa, India, marking the documented evidence of its presence in this region. Melioidosis, an infectious disease prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, is caused by the soil-dwelling bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. In areas such as South West India, where heavy rainfall is common, most human infections occur during these periods, although the reasons behind this seasonal trend remain incompletely understood. Despite India being among the countries projected to have a high burden of melioidosis, there is limited information available regarding the environmental presence of B. pseudomallei and the factors influencing its distribution. This study sought to address this gap by investigating the prevalence of B. pseudomallei in infected farmers from South Goa India.

This case series study investigates the epidemiological factors, clinical manifestations, and drug susceptibility patterns of 12 microbiologically confirmed cases of melioidosis at South Goa Tertiary care hospital, over a 3 years period. The diagnosis of Burkholderia infection was established through culture of blood or specific body fluids (such as joint fluid aspirate or pus aspirate) on Ashdown's medium/Sheep Blood agar. The study reveals that Burkholderia infection is most frequently observed in middle-aged and elderly individuals, with a predominance among males and a notable association with diabetes mellitus. Field workers Like paddy field farmers represent the most common occupational group affected by this infection. Monobactams are frequently effective against Burkholderia strains; however, there is an emerging challenge posed by strains resistant to ceftazidime, highlighting the need for vigilant clinical management strategies.

Keywords:Burkholderia pseudomallei; Farmers; Ceftazidime; Antibiotic Resistance; Melioidosis

References

1. Samy R P., et al. “Melioidosis: Clinical impact and public health threat in the tropics”. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 5 (2017): e0004738.
2. Mukhopadhyay C., et al. “Melioidosis in South Asia (India, Nepal, Pakistan)”.
3. Brosh-Nissimov T., et al. “Case Report: Imported Melioidosis from Goa, India to Israel, 2018”. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene3 (2019): 580-584.
4. Limmathurotsakul D., et al. “Predicted global distribution of Burkholderia pseudomallei and burden of melioidosis”. Nature Microbiology (2016).
5. Corea E., et al. “Melioidosis in Sri Lanka: An emerging infection”. Sri Lankan Journal of Infectious Diseases (2012).
6. Sarovich D S., et al. “Development of ceftazidime resistance in an acute Burkholderia pseudomallei infection”. (2012).
7. Gassiep I., et al. “Human melioidosis”. Clinical Microbiology Review2(2020):e00006-19.
8. Princess I., et al. “Melioidosis: An Emerging Infection with Fatal Outcomes”. (2017).
9. Behera B., et al. “Ceftazidime resistance in Burkholderia pseudomallei: First report from India (2012).
10. Mc S B., et al. “Melioidosis: An emerging infection in India” (2017).
11. Dance D. “Treatment and prophylaxis of melioidosis”. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents4 (2014): 310-318.
12. Hassan M R A., et al. “Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Burkholderia pseudomallei among melioidosis cases in Kedah, Malaysia”. (2014).
13. Zimmermann R E., et al. “Rivers as carriers and potential sentinels for Burkholderia pseudomallei in Laos”. Scientific Reports (2018).
14. Jayasinghearachchi H S., et al. “Biogeography and genetic diversity of clinical isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei in Sri Lanka”. (2021).
15. McRobb E., et al. “Tracing melioidosis back to the source: using whole-genome sequencing to investigate an outbreak originating from a contaminated domestic water supply”. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 4 (2015): 1144-1148.
16. Limmathurotsakul D., et al. “Activities of daily living associated with acquisition of melioidosis in northeast Thailand: a matched case-control study”. (2013).
17. Sreenidhi H C., et al. “STUDY OF EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FACTORS, CLINICAL SPECTRUM AND ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OF MELLIODOSIS IN GOA MEDICAL COLLEGE”. International Journal of Scientific Research2 (2019): 2277-8179.

Citation

Citation: Shradha R Gaonkar., et al. “Health Risks to Agricultural Communities: Impact of B. pseudomallei Contamination in Soil and Water Sources in Goa, India". Acta Scientific Microbiology 8.2 (2025): 39-45.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 I Sekar., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.