Researchers have discovered an alien microbe that is extremely lethal. bioterrorism agent It is native to the United States, especially the states along the Gulf of Mexico.
That’s all we know for sure. But anyone innocently Googling the insect’s scientific names, “Burkholderia pseudomalley” and “Gulf of Mexico,” could definitely get the wrong impression. That means the material is floating around and will infect anyone who swallows or inhales it. 50/50 chance of dying.
not so soon Yes, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns about it. Yes, researchers found it in Mississippi and Texas, but the locations were freshwater and soil. Yes, they are concerned about it spreading. Yes, it can be fatal, but for immunocompromised people most healthy people shake off the infection without a hitch.
There are many frightening headlines that give the impression that they may soon claim the lives of tourists. Here’s what we really know about bacteria.
As far as we know, they live in soil and freshwater.
Contrary to reports that blame the Gulf of Mexico, this bacterium does not like salt water. When CDC researchers discovered it in Mississippi last July, “three of the samples taken from soil and puddle water in 2022 tested positive for the CDC.” B. pseudomalrayindicating that environmental bacteria are likely sources of both infections and have been present in the area since at least 2020,” the agency reported.
Infection requires direct contact with the bacteria, which can occur by touching the bacteria with broken skin, swallowing, or inhaling infected droplets, Park said. As it happened in 2021, 4 cases in 4 states are linked to the infection.imported aromatherapy spray It was sold at Walmart (and has since been removed). Florida’s only case of infection occurred in 2021 in Alachua County in the north-central part of the state, according to the state health department.
not from here
Much like Burmese pythons and Brazilian bell peppers, for some reason they were invaders of imported alien species and now live and breed on their own. It occurs primarily in Southeast Asia and Australia and “appears to have originated in tropical climates and now, unfortunately, around the Gulf Coast,” said an epidemiologist, medical director at Carius Hospital. Sarah Park said. A California company that manufactures disease tests.
But even though CDC disease investigators found the virus at two facilities in Mississippi, “it’s not yet clear how prevalent it is in the environment,” said Hawaii epidemiologists. Park, who has worked as an executive for more than a decade, said. “But it’s safe to say there are many more cases … It’s always a concern when new microbes are present in one’s body that should be in another part of the world.”
Of the dozen or so cases diagnosed each year in the United States, most occur in “persons who have recently traveled to countries where the bacterium is endemic,” the CDC said.
May lie dormant for years
Even if you pick up the bacteria, symptoms may not appear for decades. It has been called a “time bomb” because a soldier who served in the Vietnam War became ill decades after the exposure.
“In the case of immunosuppression, as seen in US veterans returning from Vietnam, latency periods of up to 26 years have been reported, and meliidosis can reactivate.” report “Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives.”
Mimicking an illness
One of the reasons the CDC issued a warning about this disease is because the disease it causes, called “myelinosis,” shares symptoms with many other diseases. In more popular areas such as the Philippines, it is known as the “great imitator”.
It can resemble tuberculosis, influenza, pneumonia, encephalomyelitis, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, etc. According to the CDC, in some parts of the world, myelosis is fatal in 10% to 50% of cases.
The gold standard for diagnosis is a swab culture in the lab or a blood test. on the other hand, CDC urges Clinicians are urged to “be aware of the signs and symptoms of sinusitis and consider sinusitis in patients who present with symptoms of the disease.”
Generally healthy people don’t need to worry
It’s possible for a healthy person to get infected, but having an underlying medical condition increases the risk, according to the CDC. The agency has identified the following major risk factors:
- Diabetes
- liver disease
- kidney disease
- Thalassemia
- Cancer or another condition that weakens the immune system (not related to HIV)
- Chronic lung disease (cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis, etc.)
“People with underlying medical conditions need to be careful,” Park said. “The clinician is not clairvoyant, so remember to tell him where he was and what he was doing.”
