Melioidosis is infectious disease caused by Gram negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. The disease was first discovered by Alfred Whitmore in 1912 in Myanmar. Hence it is also called WHITMORE DISEASE. It is restricted to South east Asia and Australia, occasional cases seen in India and China. It is found in water and soil. It causes wide spectrum of disease ranging from asymptomatic infection to abscess, pneumonia, disseminated disease. Signs and symptoms mimic Tuberculosis so it is called a MIMICKER.

Keywords: Melioidosis, whitmore disease, disseminated disease, mimicker, tuberculosis.

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Hari Vijayakumar