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News Feature
Nature 434, 692-693 (7 April 2005) | doi:10.1038/434692a; Published online 6 April 2005
Tropical medicine: Melioidosis? Never heard of it...
Peter Aldhous1
- Peter Aldhous is Nature's chief news & features editor.
Abstract
Deadly tropical infections that kill within 48 hours don't usually go unnoticed. But one killer has been largely ignored for decades. Now, thanks to worries about bioterror, it is being taken more seriously. Peter Aldhous reports.
Mention melioidosis in most circles — even those with a passing interest in tropical medicine — and you'll be met with blank stares. The infection is often misdiagnosed because the bacterium that causes it, the soil-dwelling Burkholderia pseudomallei, triggers multiple symptoms that mimic those of other diseases.
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