Guterres H

Gusmao C

Pinheiro M

Martins J

Odio G

Maia C

da Conceicao V

Soares M

Osorio C

da Silva E S

Tilman A

Givney R

Oakley T

Yan J

Toto L

Amaral E

James R

Buising K

Mayo M

Kaestli M

Webb J R

Baird, Robert

Currie B

Francis J

Muhi S

2023-07-21

Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, has not yet been reported in Timor-Leste, a sovereign state northwest of Australia. In the context of improved access to diagnostic resources and expanding clinical networks in the Australasian region, we report the first 3 cases of culture-confirmed melioidosis in Timor-Leste. These cases describe a broad range of typical presentations, including sepsis, pneumonia, multifocal abscesses, and cutaneous infection. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Timor-Leste isolates belong to the Australasian clade of B. pseudomallei, rather than the Asian clade, consistent with the phylogeographic separation across the Wallace Line. This study underscores an urgent need to increase awareness of this pathogen in Timor-Leste and establish diagnostic laboratories with improved culture capacity in regional hospitals. Clinical suspicion should prompt appropriate sampling and communication with laboratory staff to target diagnostic testing. Local antimicrobial guidelines have recently been revised to include recommendations for empiric treatment of severe sepsis.

National Hospital Guido Valadares, Dili, Timor-Leste.

National Health Laboratory, Dili, Timor-Leste.

Menzies School of Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Territory Pathology, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2023 Jul 26;10(8):ofad405. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofad405. eCollection 2023 Aug.

0000-0002-3917-1187

0000-0003-3161-8199

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37577114/?otool=iaurydwlib

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/12534

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Melioidosis in Timor-Leste: First Case Description and Phylogenetic Analysis.

Journal Article

Publication