Free Republic

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed a new fatal case of the rare disease melioidosis in Georgia that is linked to three previous cases in different states, including Texas. The cases have included adults and children. Two of the four patients had no known risk factors for melioidosis; two died. Melioidosis, also called Whitmore’s disease, is an infectious disease that can infect humans or animals. The disease is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. Whole genome sequencing at CDC shows the bacterial strains that sickened the patients – one each in Texas, Kansas, Georgia and Minnesota –...

Four people in the U.S. have mysteriously fallen ill with a rare and sometimes deadly bacterial disease that's usually seen only in other countries with tropical climates, according to health officials. Yet none of these patients had traveled outside the country. The four cases, which were identified between March and July, occurred in Georgia, Kansas, Texas and Minnesota, according to a statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Two of the patients died and two were hospitalized for long periods of time. The first death occurred in Kansas in March, and the second death occurred last month...