MELIOIDOSIS THE GREAT MIMICKER: A CASE SERIES FROM A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN NORTH KERALA.

Melioidosis, also called Whitmores disease, is an infectious disease that can infect humans or animals. The disease is caused by the bacteriaBurkholderia pseudomallei or B. pseudomallei, which is found in contaminated soil and water.Melioidosishas a wide range of clinical presentation, the infection may be acute or chronic, localized or disseminated. The disease mimics other infections like tuberculosis making the clinical diagnosis very challenging.Hence a strong clinical suspicion is required to make correct diagnosis. The most important risk factors for melioidosis are diabetes, chronic alcohol use, chronic kidney disease, and chronic lung disease The incidence is more in the rainy season as the predominant mode of transmission is percutaneous inoculation during exposure to wet soils or contaminated water. Most primary and secondary healthcare centers are not sufficiently equipped to diagnose the disease, hence the true incidence of the disease may be an underestimate. There has been a steady increase in melioidosis cases in India with a large number of reports from the southern parts of the country.