The bacteria which causes a disease which can be fatal if left untreated has been deemed endemic to the Gulf Coast, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Three cases of melioidosis have been reported on the Mississippi coast, with the most recent in January. The disease is an infection brought on by the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei.

The first two cases were reported in 2020 in the same area of the Mississippi coast, but in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic received little attention.

Subsequent to the cases of melioidosis, the Mississippi Department of Health conducted tests on both soil and water samples around the patient’s homes and both tested positive for the bacteria, indicating the source of the infection came from the environment.

The tests marked the first time the bacteria was found in the environment in the U.S.

How long the bacteria has been on the Gulf Coast is unknown, but the CDC notes the coast’s warm, moist climate is conducive to bacteria growth.

Mississippi State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said last July most prior cases of melioidosis diagnosed in the U.S. had been the result of overseas travel.

“Typically, we see these bacteria in countries where the bacteria are endemic or where it normally occurs,” Byers said.

“Burkholderia pseudomallei normally occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas like Southeast Asia or Central or South America. 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.”

The discoveries now have the disease considered endemic to the Gulf Coast, with infections possible from Texas to Florida, Julia Petras with the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases told UPI last week.

Once the bacteria has entered a person’s system, it attacks various organs, including the lungs, brain and any organ with an abscess.

Many people are likely to have contracted the disease, but show no symptoms and develop antibodies against it.

But at-risk patients, including diabetics, or people with liver or kidney disease or another autoimmune disease can experience pneumonia and/or sepsis, which leads to higher mortality rates.

“Excessive alcohol use is also a known risk factor,” Petras said, “and binge drinking has actually been associated with cases as well from endemic areas.”

Petras said some estimates indicate there have are about 160,000 cases of melioidosis worldwide annually, with 80,000 deaths. The CDC has the mortality rate at 10% to 50%.

The good news is that early detection and a battery of antibiotics have proven highly effective in treating the disease. All three persons infected in Mississippi recovered, according to the MDH. Cases can be under-reported, however, because symptoms can be mistaken for other, more common illnesses such as bronchitis.

Health officials recommend precautions for people living along the Gulf Coast, particularly those in high-risk categories. Precautions include:

• Avoiding contact with soil or muddy water, particularly immediately after heavy rain
• Using waterproof coverings on open wounds
• Wearing waterproof boots while gardening, yard work or other agricultural activities. Health officials note it’s critical to prevent infection through the feet and lower legs
• Wearing gloves when working directly with soil

Petras also noted it’s extremely rare for melioidosis to be transmitted from one person to another, with only two known cases worldwide.