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Emergence of Autochthonous Melioidosis in Two Inland PLADs - China, 2021
Yong Sun1, Meng Yang2, Shoujie Yu3
1Anhui Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei City, Anhui Province, China.
What Is Already Known About This Topic?:
Melioidosis, a tropical infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei (BP) infection, is endemic in the southern coastal provincial-level administrative divisions (PLADs) of China.
What Is Added By This Report?:
Three melioidosis cases, including two in young children and one in a 19-year-old female, were reported in Anhui and Jiangxi (two inland PLADs of China) respectively, in 2021. None of the patients had a travel history to a melioidosis-endemic area. All the BP isolates belonged to the same sequence type (ST51), which had been reported from elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
What Are The Implications For Public Health Practice?:
This is the first report of autochthonous melioidosis cases in inland Chinese PLADs. Surveillance and prevention and control work should be strengthened in this region.
Insights
Melioidosis, a tropical infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, has been reported in inland China. This finding highlights the need for increased surveillance and control measures in non-endemic regions.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Melioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei (BP), is typically endemic in southern coastal regions of China.
- Autochthonous cases in inland areas are rare, posing a diagnostic challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the first cases of autochthonous melioidosis in inland China.
- To emphasize the need for enhanced surveillance and control in these regions.
Main Methods:
- Case reporting and clinical data collection.
- Bacterial isolate characterization and sequence typing.
Main Results:
- Three cases of melioidosis were identified in inland Anhui and Jiangxi provinces in 2021.
- All patients lacked travel history to endemic areas.
- Isolates belonged to sequence type 51 (ST51), previously reported in Southeast Asia.
Conclusions:
- This report signifies the emergence of melioidosis in previously non-endemic inland Chinese provinces.
- Strengthened surveillance and public health interventions are crucial for early detection and management of melioidosis in these areas.
