CDC says 4 people infected, 2 dead in US from rare tropical disease



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U.S. health officials are investigating the latest fatal case of a rare tropical disease typically found in South Asia.

The unidentified person, who died last month in Georgia, was the fourth U.S. case this year of melioidosis caused by bacteria that live in soil and water, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

None of the Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota or Texas cases traveled overseas, confusing experts. The CDC said two people had died.

Melioidosis

FILE – Burkholderia pseudomallei is an aerobic Gram-negative bacterium, and is the causative agent of melioidosis.

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Federal health officials have sent an alert about the latest case to doctors, asking them to consider melioidosis if they are faced with a bacterial infection that does not respond to antibiotics, even though the patient has not traveled to outside the country. The CDC has said the infection is treatable if caught early and treated properly.

Although the diseases were found in different states at different times, the agency said lab tests showed the infections were closely related.

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