Nearly one in eleven high-risk hospital patients in India affected by deadly melioidosis infection, study finds

A major multi-centre study reveals that nearly nine per cent of high-risk hospitalised adults across India have melioidosis, a serious bacterial infection with a high hospital death rate. Published in The Lancet Global Health and led by Nitin Gupta at Kasturba Medical College, the study tested patients at 15 Indian centres between January 2023 and December 2025. Out of 2,953 high-risk patients assessed, 262 tested positive for culture-confirmed melioidosis, representing 8.9% of the group. Among those diagnosed, 50 patients died in the hospital, which is 19.1% of confirmed cases.

The Infection And Risks

The disease is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, which lives in soil and water in tropical and subtropical regions. People usually catch it when contaminated mud or water enters the body through cuts or wounds. Other transmission routes include breathing in dust or water droplets and swallowing contaminated water, while person-to-person spread is extremely rare. Doctors note that diabetes is a major risk factor, alongside chronic kidney, lung and liver diseases, heavy alcohol use and weak immunity. Symptoms can mimic tuberculosis or cause severe pneumonia, blood infections, and deep organ abscesses.

Diagnosis And Treatment

Diagnosing the illness remains difficult because symptoms vary widely and standard automated lab systems can mistake the bacterium for other germs. Treatment involves a long process starting with intravenous antibiotics such as ceftazidime or meropenem, followed by months of oral medication to prevent a relapse. Participating centres showed varying detection rates, with Odisha recording 26%, Madhya Pradesh 22.7% and Karnataka 19.3%. Experts urge better laboratory training and national surveillance to track the disease.

Context

Melioidosis is often called a great imitator because its signs overlap with many other common illnesses like tuberculosis, making it easy to miss without specific culture tests. Public health experts stress that expanding testing facilities across Indian hospitals will help catch cases earlier and save lives.