Deadly Bacteria Found In U.S. Soil For First Time

MISSISSIPPI — A deadly bacteria has been found in the environment for the first time in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.

CDC officials found Burkholderia pseudomallei, which causes the deadly disease melioidosis, in soil and water samples taken from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The bacteria is typically found in tropical climates such as southeast Asia, northern Australia, parts of Central and South America and Puerto Rico.

Melioidosis is extremely rare in the United States with around 12 cases each year. The disease is usually found in people who have traveled to a country where the disease is more common or from contact with products imported from those countries. Four cases, including two deaths, were linked to aromatherapy sprays sold in 2021.

But two people in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area caught the disease two years apart, in 2020 and 2022, prompting health authorities to collect samples in and around their homes from household products, soil and water.

Three of the samples from soil and puddle water contained the bacteria, according to the CDC.

Officials are unsure how long the bacteria has been in the United States or how widespread it is, but they believe conditions in Gulf Coast states are favorable for growth of the bacteria. Health officials believe the risk of contracting melioidosis for people in the United States is still "very low."

"Because of the identification of this bacteria on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, persons at high risk for severe infection living on the Gulf Coast should take recommended precautions," said Dr. Paul Byer, Mississippi state epidemiologist.

Melioidosis is spread through direct contact with the bacteria, so avoiding direct contact with soil and water in affected areas is key to preventing the disease, especially in the case of open wounds. If doing outdoor work in those areas, officials recommend wearing waterproof boots and gloves when handling soil and water. It is rare for melioidosis to spread from person to person.

The incubation period of the disease can vary wildly from as little as a day to many years, but symptoms typically begin a couple weeks to a month after exposure to the bacteria.

Fever and headache are common symptoms of melioidosis, but other symptoms vary depending on how the bacteria was contracted, according to the CDC. Infections in the bloodstream can cause respiratory distress, abdominal discomfort, joint pain and disorientation. Infections affecting the lungs can cause coughing, chest pain and anorexia, and a local infection typically causes swelling as well as ulcers and abscesses.

If infections spread in the body, people can experience weight loss and seizures.

Melioidosis can affect anyone, but people with diabetes, liver disease, renal disease, Thalassemia, cancer and chronic lung disease are at greater risk of infection.

Melioidosis is fatal in 10 to 50 percent of cases worldwide, according to the CDC.