A 13-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on chemotherapy developed neutropenia and acute cellulitis progressing to fulminating septicemia due to Pseudomonas pseudomallei. Septicemic melioidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a febrile illness in children who are susceptible to infections.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Howe C., Sampath A., Spotnitz M.: The pseudomallei group: a review. J Infect Dis124:598, 1971
2.
Whitemore A. , Krishnaswami CJ: An account of a hitherto undescribed infective disease occurring among the population of Rangoon. Indian Med Gaz47:262, 1912
3.
Stanton AT, Fletcher W.: Melioidosis—Studies from the Institute for Medical Research, Federated Malay States, No. 21. London, John Bale and Sons and Danielson, Ltd, 1932
4.
Sanford JP: Melioidosis, Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, Seventh Edition. KogaRusha, McGraw-Hill, 1977, pp. 865-868
5.
Borella L., Webster RG: The immunosuppressive effects of long-term combination chemotherapy in children with acute leukaemic in remission. Cancer Res31:420, 1971
6.
Strauss JM, Groves MG, Mariappan M., Ellison DW: Melioidosis in Malaysia. II. Distribution of Pseudomonas pseudomallei in soil and surface water. Am J Trop Med Hyg18:698, 1969
7.
Eickhoff TC, Bennett JV, Hayes PS, Feely J.: Pseudomonas pseudomallei: susceptibility to chemotherapeutic agents . J Infect Dis121:95, 1970
