A rare and sometimes deadly bacteria — long thought to be confined to tropical climates — has been found in soil and water in the continental United States
The bacteria may not bother healthy people. But it can be dangerous to those with diabetes, chronic kidney or lung disease and weakened immune systems.
Last year, four people came down with the disease even though none had traveled internationally. Officials blamed their illnesses on a contaminated aromatherapy spray imported from India. The new findings explain two Mississippi cases in men who hadn't traveled internationally, officials said. One got melioidosis in 2020 and the other, who lives about 10 miles away, got it this year. Both have recovered.
Health officials didn't say exactly where in Mississippi the men live, but investigators took 109 soil and water samples from the area. The bacteria was found in three spots — two in soil and one in a puddle — on the property of the man who was sickened two years ago. Finding the bacteria in U.S. soil is significant, but not surprising. Investigators have long believed that local soil contamination was behind infections in Texas's Atascosa County in 2004 and 2018, CDC officials said.
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CDC Warns Of Potentially Deadly Bacteria Found In U.S. Soil And Water For First TimeI am a senior reporter for the Forbes breaking news team, covering health and science from the London office. Previously I worked as a reporter for a trade publication covering big data and law and as a freelance journalist and policy analyst covering science, tech and health. I have master’s degrees in Biological Natural Sciences and the History and Philosophy of Science from Downing College, Cambridge University. Follow me on Twitter theroberthart or get in touch at rhartforbes.com
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