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Definition.

Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a gram-negative bacillus, Pseudomonas pseudomallei, found in damp soil and surface waters in Vietnam and other tropic areas. It is most commonly recognized as an acute pneumonia, but the clinical picture is variable with a spectrum which includes asymptomatic infection manifested only by positive serology, asymptomatic pulmonary infiltration, acute toxic pneumonitis, and over-whelming fatal septicemia. Localized extra-pulmonary forms occur in subcutaneous tissue, bones, joints, kidneys, and other organs.