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Review
. 2018 Mar 1;3(1):28.
doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed3010028.

Melioidosis in Myanmar

Mo Mo Win  1 , Elizabeth A Ashley  2   3 , Khwar Nyo Zin  4 , Myint Thazin Aung  5 , Myo Maung Maung Swe  6 , Clare L Ling  7   8 , François Nosten  9   10 , Win May Thein  11 , Ni Ni Zaw  12 , May Yee Aung  13 , Kyaw Myo Tun  14 , David A B Dance  15   16   17 , Frank M Smithuis  18   19   20
Affiliations
Review

Melioidosis in Myanmar

Mo Mo Win et al. Trop Med Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Sporadic cases of melioidosis have been diagnosed in Myanmar since the disease was first described in Yangon in 1911. Published and unpublished cases are summarized here, along with results from environmental and serosurveys. A total of 298 cases have been reported from seven states or regions between 1911 and 2018, with the majority of these occurring before 1949. Findings from soil surveys confirm the presence of Burkholderia pseudomallei in the environment in all three regions examined. The true epidemiology of the disease in Myanmar is unknown. Important factors contributing to the current gaps in knowledge are lack of awareness among clinicians and insufficient laboratory diagnostic capacity in many parts of the country. This is likely to have led to substantial under-reporting.

Keywords: Burkholderia pseudomallei; Myanmar; melioidosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of Myanmar showing distribution of reported cases (1912–present) by state or region, categorized by predominant climate type. Each black dot represents a case.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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