Environmental Presence of Burkholderia pseudomallei at Military Sites in an Endemic Region: Implications for Future Deployments and Studies

TL;DR

This study found that soil at military sites in Darwin, Australia, contains the bacteria causing melioidosis, but not in the air, highlighting the need for more research on inhalation risks.

Contribution

The study identifies specific B. pseudomallei strains in military sites and links them to human cases, suggesting a potential inhalation risk.

Findings

Burkholderia pseudomallei was found in soil at all four military sites in Darwin.

Four B. pseudomallei sequence types were identified, all previously linked to human melioidosis cases.

No B. pseudomallei was detected in air samples, but further air sampling is recommended.

Abstract

The footprint of melioidosis is expanding globally, but its historical roots are in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Melioidosis has long been described in military personnel deployed to melioidosis-endemic regions; however, the magnitude of the risk has not been quantified, and the nature of infecting events remains speculative. As with infections in the endemic population, the greatest concern is for inhalational melioidosis. Soil and air at four military locations in the highly melioidosis-prevalent environment of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, were sampled. Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. pseudomallei) was recovered from soil in all four sites but not from air samples. Genotyping revealed four B. pseudomallei sequence types (STs), with each ST recognized in human melioidosis cases from the region. Further systematic air sampling for B. pseudomallei is required both during the monsoonal wet season and under other circumstances, including aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, to better understand the risk of inhalational melioidosis.