Melioidosis in Andaman's: A report of two cases and a short review

Melioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an emerging infectious disease in the tropical regions of the world. The aetiologic agent is an environmental saprophyte and can be transmitted by percutaneous inoculation, inhalation and ingestion. The risk factors for disease acquisition are type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM), chronic alcohol use, chronic lung or renal disease and immune suppression. The diagnosis is an enigma due to varied manifestations, lack of clinical suspicion and capabilities for conclusive identification. Early diagnosis is crucial for initiating appropriate chemotherapy as Melioidosis respond to only a limited number of antibiotics given over a prolonged period of time and to prevent the worsening of clinical outcome and relapse. We report two cases of Melioidosis with lower extremity involvement, an entity which was probably undiagnosed for long, at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.