Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
04:47
A Model for Experimental Exposure of Humans to Larval Ixodes scapularis Ticks
Published on: December 1, 2023
'Imported' melioidosis in Germany: relapse after 10 years
D Frangoulidis1, D Schwab, H Scholz
1Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Neuherbergstr. 11, 80937 Munich, Germany. dimitriosfrangoulidis@bundeswehr.org
Summary
A patient with diabetes and diverticulitis developed an abdominal abscess caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a tropical infection. This melioidosis relapse occurred 16 years after initial exposure in Thailand, highlighting the need for long-term vigilance.
Area of Science:
- Medical Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Tropical Medicine
Background:
- A 62-year-old German patient with a history of insulin-dependent diabetes and diverticulitis presented with abdominal pain.
- The patient had a prior hospitalization in Thailand in 1996, a known endemic area for melioidosis.
Observation:
- Initial diagnosis suggested a Pseudomonas species infection in an abdominal abscess.
- Further microbiological analysis confirmed Burkholderia pseudomallei as the causative agent of the abdominal abscess.
Findings:
- The patient's melioidosis infection was a late relapse, occurring 16 years after the presumed initial exposure during travel to Thailand.
- Successful treatment involved a combination of chemotherapy and surgical revision of the abdominal abscess.
Implications:
- This case underscores the potential for delayed relapses in tropical infections like melioidosis, even after many years.
- Clinicians and microbiologists must consider long-term follow-up for patients with a history of exposure to endemic areas.
- Awareness of melioidosis and its potential for late recurrence is crucial for accurate diagnosis and management.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) is a severe tick-borne illness caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, a Gram-negative, coccobacillary bacterium. This pathogen is an obligate intracellular parasite, requiring a host cell for replication. Transmission occurs through the bite of an infected tick. In the United States, the most important vectors are Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick) and Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mountain wood tick), though other tick species may also serve as vectors.
01:29Malaria
Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
01:28Amebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...
01:28Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
01:30Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a protozoal disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. The parasite exists in two principal morphological forms during its life cycle. A sandfly acquires intracellular amastigotes from an infected reservoir host, such as a dog. Within the sandfly, these forms differentiate into motile, flagellated promastigotes. During a subsequent blood meal, promastigotes are injected into the human host, where they...
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...