Melioidosis in the Torres Strait Islands, Australia: Exquisite Interplay between Pathogen, Host, and Environment

Hempenstall, Allison; Smith, Simon; Stanton, David W. G.; Hanson, Josh

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.18-0806

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…B. pseudomallei is endemic to Far North Queensland (FNQ), a region in the northernmost part of the state of Queensland, Australia ( Figure 1 ). Incidence of melioidosis in the Torres Strait Islands in the region’s north is among the highest reported in published series of melioidosis cases in Australia ( 4 , 6 ). During the past 20 years, the FNQ population has grown rapidly, predominantly in the city of Cairns, the region’s major industrial hub, and in the nearby towns (Cairns area, in and around Cairns).…”

mentioning

confidence: 95%

Increased Incidence of Melioidosis in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, 1998–2019

Smith¹,

Horne²,

Rubenach³

et al. 2021

Emerg. Infect. Dis.

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confidence: 95%

Increased Incidence of Melioidosis in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, 1998–2019

Smith¹,

Horne²,

Rubenach³

et al. 2021

Emerg. Infect. Dis.

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“…Similar to the main findings of Chakravorty and Heath [29] and Hantrakun et al [30], the present work indicated that the provinces with hotspot clusters were primarily located in the northeast because their physical conditions and climate are agricultural land and drought. In particular, the melioidosis incidence is influenced by environmental factors, such as the rainfall, vegetation, soil type, humidity, temperature and climatic variations, that favor the growth of the causative organism [31][32][33]. On the contrary, with its sprawling urban areas around Bangkok and expanding industrial estates in many provinces, the central region was the main location for most coldspot clusters, indicating its low incidence rate of melioidosis induced by those factors [13].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial association between environmental factors and melioidosis in Thailand

Onprasonk

Laohasiriwong

Puttanapong

2023

Preprint

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Background Melioidosis is an infectious disease incurring health burden in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. It is an infectious disease that can be transmitted to both humans and animals whose contact with contaminated soil or water may expose them to the bacteria in an endemic area. This study examined the spatial association between environmental factors and melioidosis incidence in Thailand using the statistics of melioidosis registered in the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (Report 506), administered by the Ministry of Public Health. Data on satellite-based environmental factors, including normalized difference drought index (NDDI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), normalized difference water index (NDWI), daytime and night-time land surface temperature (LST), urban and built-up area, cropland and precipitation, were obtained from Google Earth Engine. Methods The study used secondary data on melioidosis registered in the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (Report 506) by the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health of Thailand, and the satellite-based environmental factors, from 2006 to 2020. All variables were aggregated at the provincial level to match the spatial resolution of melioidosis incidence. An analysis of bivariate Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) showed that all of the satellite-based environmental factors were statistically associated with melioidosis incidence at p-value < 0.05. In addition, the statistically significant clusters were mostly located in the Northeast region. Fixed- and random-effect regression models were also used for examining multivariable relationships. Results Both models showed similar results, indicating that all of the satellite-based environmental factors were statistically associated with melioidosis incidence at p-value < 0.001, except for precipitation in the fixed-effect model (p-value = 0.096). Particularly, the regression coefficients of NDVI, night-time LST, cropland and precipitation were positive, and those of NDDI, NDWI, daytime LST and urban and built-up area were negative. Conclusion All these results indicated that favourable climate condition and farming activity are associated with melioidosis incidence. Furthermore, the satellite data can alternatively provide timely information for future prevention policies.

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“…4 In humans, melioidosis can involve almost any organ, with the clinical presentation a result of the complex interplay between host, pathogen, and the environment. 5,6 B. pseudomallei can also infect animals, with pigs, goats, sheep, and camels among the most susceptible. 4…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melioidosis in northern Australia

Hanson

Smith

2022

Microbiol. Aust.

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Burkholderia pseudomallei, the environmental bacterium that causes melioidosis, is endemic to northern Australia. Melioidosis is a strongly seasonal disease, occurring predominantly in individuals with specific comorbidities that include diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, immunosuppresion, malignancy and hazardous alcohol use. Most patients are bacteraemic and the majority have pneumonia, however, the infection can involve almost any organ, with the skin, soft tissues, genitourinary system, bones, and joints frequently affected; multi-organ involvement is also common. Central nervous system involvement is less frequent but is more likely to cause death and long-term disability. The incidence of melioidosis is increasing in Australia, but improvements in management have resulted in the local case-fatality rate declining to approximately 10%. Further progress requires greater awareness of the disease and the development of technologies that might expedite diagnosis. A deeper understanding of the disease’s pathophysiology – particularly the role of virulence factors – may also help define optimal management strategies, including the duration of antimicrobial therapy and the role of adjunctive treatments. Public health strategies that address the risk factors for this opportunistic infection – and the social inequity that drives them – would also reduce the morbidity and mortality of this life-threatening disease.

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Melioidosis in the Torres Strait Islands, Australia: Exquisite Interplay between Pathogen, Host, and Environment

Cited by 10 publications

References 17 publications

Increased Incidence of Melioidosis in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, 1998–2019

Increased Incidence of Melioidosis in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, 1998–2019

Spatial association between environmental factors and melioidosis in Thailand

Melioidosis in northern Australia

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