Melioidosis: Case Report of Confirmed Burkholderia pseudomallei in Saudi Arabia

Melioidosis is an infectious disease of tropical climates. The disease is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. Most cases are diagnosed in south east Asia and northern Australia. Some imported cases diagnosed in returning tourist, soldiers and immigrants from endemic areas. It caught a lot of attention since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) designated B. pseudomallei as an agent for biological warfare and terrorism. We describe two cases of a 26-year-old Saudi woman who had fulminant sepsis soon after returning from Thailand & 48-year-old woman with a long history of fever. B. pseudomallei was isolated from both patient’s blood cultures and they had different consequences. A confirmed case of melioidosis was not reported before in Saudi Arabia.