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A Maryland woman has contracted a rare bacterial disease in her home aquarium, according to a new report.
The disease, called melioidosis, is usually only seen in tropical areas outside of the United States, and when cases do appear in the United States, they almost always occur in people who have traveled to other countries. The case of Maryland, which occurred in 2019 and described in a report published on September 27 in the journal Emerging infectious diseases, is unusual because the woman had never traveled outside of the United States. Its case is also the first in the world to be connected to a home aquarium, the authors said.
However, such cases of melioidosis unrelated to travel are increasingly common. In August, U.S. health officials announced they were investigating four cases of melioidosis that occurred in 2021 and were unrelated to travel, Previously reported live science. The sources of these cases have still not been identified, but authorities suspect that an imported product – such as a food, drink, personal care item or cleaning product – may be the culprit. The Maryland case does not appear to be connected to the 2021 cluster.
Melioidosis is caused by the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei, which grows in tropical climates and is most commonly seen in Southeast Asia and northern Australia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). People can become infected through contact with contaminated soil or water, particularly if they have cuts on their skin, according to the report. People can also get the disease from drinking contaminated water or inhaling dust or contaminated water droplets.
Related: 11 ways your beloved pet can make you sick
The disease can cause a series of symptoms depending on where the infection occurs in the body. Symptoms of a lung infection includes cough, chest pain, and high fever; symptoms of a skin infection include swelling and abscesses; and symptoms of a blood infection include headache, abdominal pain and disorientation, according to the CDC. Not all people infected with the bacteria show symptoms, but in those who do, the disease can be serious, with a death rate of between 10% and 50%, according to a 2019 article published in the journal. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. (Of the four cases of melioidosis in the United States in 2021, two have died.) Certain medical conditions, including Diabetes and liver disease, can increase a person’s risk of infection, according to the CDC.
The 56-year-old from Maryland, who had a history of diabetes, was first hospitalized in September 2019 with a fever, cough and chest pain, and tests showed she had pneumonia. A few days later, further tests revealed that she was infected with B. pseudomallei.
She was started on an antibiotic called meropenem, which is recommended for treating melioidosis. After 11 days, she was well enough to leave the hospital. But three weeks later, her infection relapsed even though she was still on antibiotics. She was hospitalized for another week and received a second antibiotic. Overall, it took 12 weeks of continuous antibiotics to clear her infection.
To determine where her infection was coming from, health officials took samples in and around the woman’s home, including samples from her two freshwater aquariums. Samples from an aquarium were positive for B. pseudomallei, and the bacterial strain in the reservoir genetically matched that which infected the patient.
The woman said she bought the aquariums, tank supplies and several types of tropical fish, including cherry barbs (Puntius titteya) and fancy tailed guppies (Poecilia reticulata), in July 2019.
She also reported that she put her bare hands and arms in the tank while cleaning, according to the report.
Authorities therefore investigated the pet store where the woman bought the fish, as well as the vendors who imported the fish, to verify B. pseudomallei contamination.
“Because these vendors can distribute freshwater animals and aquatic plants to pet retailers across the United States, identifying possible sources of introduction with B. pseudomallei in the supply chain is essential to public health, ”the authors wrote in their report.
In the wake of this case, the CDC now includes questions about the ownership of aquariums and tropical fish in questionnaires used to investigate cases of melioidosis, according to Gizmodo.
The case “really broadened our understanding of how the bacteria might cross borders through imported products. And now that we have identified this new route of exposure, it may raise awareness of this risk,” lead author of the ‘study, Patrick Dawson, an epidemiologist with the CDC’s Bureau of Science, told Gizmodo.
To reduce the risk of catching diseases from fish in general, the CDC recommends that people wash their hands before and after cleaning aquariums and feeding fish. People should also wear gloves to cover any cuts on their hands when cleaning aquariums or handling fish, according to the agency.
Originally posted on Live Science.
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