← 26 October 2026's Current Affairs · Science & Tech GA Prelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★☆☆☆
Melioidosis may be going undetected in India, study finds
വാർത്തയിൽ എന്തുകൊണ്ട്?
One in 11 high-risk patients had it: melioidosis, the Burkholderia pseudomallei disease for GS2 Health
A study flags under-detection of the deadly bacterial infection melioidosis.
Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 മിനിറ്റ്
A multicentre study found that nearly one in 11 high-risk hospitalised adults in India had melioidosis, and almost one in five confirmed patients died in hospital.
Melioidosis is caused by the soil- and water-dwelling bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei.
Gaps in diagnosis and national surveillance mean the true disease burden remains uncertain.
ഉറവിടങ്ങൾ: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
പ്രധാന വസ്തുതകൾ
Remember these
- Melioidosis is caused by the soil- and water-dwelling bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei
- A multicentre study found nearly 1 in 11 high-risk hospitalised adults in India had melioidosis
- Almost 1 in 5 confirmed patients died in hospital
- Gaps in diagnosis and national surveillance leave the true disease burden uncertain
- The bacterium is environmental, so exposure is linked to contact with contaminated soil and water
പ്രിലിംസ് · മെയിൻസ്
How the exam will ask it
പ്രിലിംസ്
- Melioidosis is a bacterial infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, found in soil and water.
- Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, leptospirosis by Leptospira interrogans and cholera by Vibrio cholerae, none of which cause melioidosis.
- Under-detection of melioidosis is linked to diagnostic gaps and the absence of robust national surveillance.
മെയിൻസ്
GS2 (Health) and GS3 (Biotechnology): an under-recognised environmental bacterial disease is probably going undetected because of weak diagnostics and surveillance. Policy response involves making it a notified or surveilled disease, strengthening laboratory capacity and clinician awareness. The way forward is wider culture and molecular testing, a national surveillance network and integration with the One Health approach.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
Melioidosis, in news after a multicentre study in India, is caused by which bacterium?
- Burkholderia pseudomallei
- Mycobacterium leprae
- Leptospira interrogans
- Vibrio cholerae
ഉത്തരം കാണിക്കൂ
ഉത്തരം: A — Correct: Burkholderia pseudomallei — Melioidosis is caused by the soil- and water-dwelling bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. • Mycobacterium leprae — wrong: Mycobacterium leprae causes leprosy, not melioidosis. • Leptospira interrogans — wrong: Leptospira interrogans causes leptospirosis, a different water-borne disease. • Vibrio cholerae — wrong: Vibrio cholerae causes cholera, not melioidosis.
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