A case of pulmonary melioidosis

[Infections of the lungs in returning travellers]

Auf Auslandsreisen kann es zu Infektionen mit Erregern kommen, die in Deutschland nicht endemisch sind. Vor dem Hintergrund einer stetig zunehmenden Reiseaktivität der Bevölkerung gewinnen diese Infektionen bei Reiserückkehrern an Bedeutung. Ältere und vorerkrankte Reisende stellen dabei eine besondere Risikogruppe dar. Die Kenntnis von im Ausland vorkommenden Erregern und typischen Krankheitsbildern ist essenziell, um eine entsprechende Verdachtsdiagnose stellen zu können, insbesondere bei Patienten, bei denen eine erste kalkulierte antibakterielle Therapie ohne Effekt bleibt. Die Erhebung einer detaillierten Reiseanamnese ist entscheidend, um Aufschluss über eine mögliche Exposition gegenüber spezifischen Erregern zu gewinnen und die korrekte Diagnostik in die Wege leiten zu können. Neben Erregern, die primär zu einer Infektion der Lunge führen, müssen differenzialdiagnostisch auch immer nichtpulmonale Infektionen mit einer pulmonalen Begleitsymptomatik, wie beispielsweise Schistosomiasis oder Malaria, in Betracht gezogen werden. Zwei Beispiele von pulmonalen Infektionen, die ausschließlich im Ausland erworben werden können, sind die Melioidose und die Kokzidioidomykose. Während eine pulmonale Manifestation der Melioidose akut und fulminant verlaufen und mit einer hohen Letalität assoziiert sein kann, ist die Kokzidioidomykose primär meist oligosymptomatisch, mit erheblicher Latenz können jedoch pulmonale Manifestationen auftreten, die in ihrer Vielfalt der Tuberkulose oder Malignomen ähneln können.

A review of melioidosis cases imported into Europe

Melioidosis is a tropical bacterial infection, rarely encountered, and poorly known by clinicians. In non-endemic areas, a misdiagnosis can lead to a fatal outcome. This study aims to identify the main characteristics of imported and diagnosed melioidosis cases in Europe to increase clinician's awareness of this diagnosis. A literature review of imported and diagnosed human melioidosis cases in Europe was performed. PubMed and Web of Science search engines were used for retrieving articles from 2000 to November 2018. Seventy-seven cases of imported melioidosis into Europe described in the literature were identified. More than half of the cases were acquired in Thailand (53%) by men (73%). Patients were usually exposed to Burkholderia pseudomallei during a holiday stay (58%) of less than 1 month (23%) and were hospitalized during the month following their return to Europe (58%). Among travelers, melioidosis is less often associated with risk factor (16%), diabetes being the most frequently comorbidity related (19%). The clinical presentation was multifaceted, pneumonia being the most common symptom (52%), followed by cardiovascular form (45%) and skin and soft tissues damages (35%). The diagnosis was obtained by culture (92%), often supplemented by morphological, biochemical, and molecular identification (23%). Misdiagnoses were common (21%). Over half of the patients received a complete and adapted treatment (56%). Mortality is lower for returning traveler (6%). Imported melioidosis cases into Europe have their own characteristics. This possibility should be considered in patients with pneumonia, fever, and/or abscess returning from endemic areas even years after.

Chronic Cavitary Infections Other than Tuberculosis: Clinical Aspects

Lung cavitation may be due to infectious or noninfectious pathologic processes. The latter category includes nonmalignant conditions, such as granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and malignant conditions, such as squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. Infectious etiologies that produce lung cavitation usually cause chronic illness, although some, particularly pyogenic bacteria, may produce acute cavitary disease. Tuberculosis is the most common cause of chronic pulmonary infection with cavitation. The goal of this review was to highlight a selection of the better-known infectious agents, other than tuberculosis, that can cause chronic lung disease with cavitation. Emphasis is placed on the following organisms: nontuberculous mycobacteria, Histoplasma, Blastomyces, Coccidioides, Paracoccidioides, Aspergillus, Burkholderia pseudomallei, Paragonimus westermani, and Rhodococcus equi. These organisms generally produce clinical features and radiologic findings that overlap or mimic those of tuberculosis. In a companion article, we have further emphasized aspects of the same conditions that are more pertinent to radiologists.

Melioidosis in Travelers: Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

Melioidosis is a bacterial infection endemic essentially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. In temperate areas, the infection is extremely rare and is almost always imported by travelers or immigrants. The infection may affect almost any organ in the body, with various degrees of severity.

METHODS

We reviewed the literature on melioidosis in travelers. For this purpose we searched PubMed and Google for relevant articles up to July 2015.

RESULTS

We have identified 72 cases of melioidosis in travelers published in the literature. Melioidosis in travelers was acquired mostly in Thailand (46% of cases). The mean duration of stay in the endemic area was 36 days (range 7-330 days). Symptoms usually started at 23 days (range 1-360 days) after leaving the endemic area. The clinical presentation was varied, sepsis being the most common (34%) followed by pneumonia (29%) and abscess formation (25%). Melioidosis in travelers was less often associated with predisposing risk factors (37.5%), diabetes mellitus being the most common (21%), and had lower mortality (17%) than had the infection in autochthonous cases in Southeast Asia.

CONCLUSIONS

Melioidosis in travelers has its own characteristics, which distinguish it from other autochthonous diseases in indigenous populations. The possibility of melioidosis should be considered not only in patients originating from endemic areas, but also in patients returning from travel in those regions.