Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health
Volume 36, Issue 6, 2005, Pages 1496-1502

Seroprevalence of Burkholderia pseudomallei in East Timorese refugees: Implications for healthcare in East Timor (Article)

Armstrong P.K.* , Anstey N.M. , Kelly P.M. , Currie B.J. , Martins N. , Dasari P. , Krause V.
  • a Center for Disease Control, Casuarina, North. Territ., Australia, Communicable Diseases Branch, NSW Health, North Sydney, NSW, Australia, Communicable Disease Branch, NSW Health, LMB 961, North Sydney, NSW 2059, Australia
  • b Infectious Diseases Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Casuarina, North. Territ., Australia, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, North. Territ., Australia
  • c Center for Disease Control, Casuarina, North. Territ., Australia, Communicable Diseases Branch, NSW Health, North Sydney, NSW, Australia, Infectious Diseases Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Casuarina, North. Territ., Australia
  • d Infectious Diseases Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Casuarina, North. Territ., Australia, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, North. Territ., Australia
  • e Infectious Diseases Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Casuarina, North. Territ., Australia, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, North. Territ., Australia
  • f Infectious Diseases Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Casuarina, North. Territ., Australia, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, North. Territ., Australia
  • g Center for Disease Control, Casuarina, North. Territ., Australia

Abstract

Melioidosis is a disease with protean clinical manifestations caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is endemic in countries surrounding the newly independent East Timor, but has yet to be isolated or demonstrated serologically in that country. One illness that can be clinically indistinguishable from melioidosis is pulmonary tuberculosis, a condition with a very high prevalence in East Timor. We used an indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) to measure antibodies to B. pseudomallei in 407 East Timorese evacuated to Darwin, Australia, in September 1999. Assuming a positive IHA titer as ≥1:40, the overall seroprevalence rate was 17.0%, in keeping with other seroprevalence studies from the region. The IHA titres ranged up to 1:320. After adjusting for age, females were 2.5 times more likely to be seropositive than males (p=0.0001). There was an inverse relationship between seropositivity and age. This study shows that exposure to B. pseudomallei occurs in East Timor melioidosis is also likely to occur. Due to the lack of laboratory facilities at present, it may be some time before a laboratory-confirmed case proves that melioidosis occurs. In the meantime, clinicians in East Timor should include melioidosis in the differential diagnosis of the many conditions that it may mimic.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

refugee Hemagglutination Tests human epidemiology Refugees melioidosis middle aged Burkholderia pseudomallei Burkholderia Infections Timor-Leste Humans Adolescent male female immunology isolation and purification Article Retrospective Studies blood bacterial infection adult age Age Factors East Timor microbiology bacterium antibody Antibodies, Bacterial retrospective study Delivery of Health Care Seroepidemiologic Studies hemagglutination test health care delivery
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-33645031264&partnerID=40&md5=23b4065fff1323593745057bacb5dcff
ISSN: 01251562
Cited by: 10
Original Language: English