Melioidosis in Africa: Time to Raise Awareness and Build Capacity for Its Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Abstract

Melioidosis is a tropical infectious disease caused by the soil-dwelling bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei with a mortality of up to 50% in low resource settings. Only a few cases have been reported from African countries. However, studies on the global burden of melioidosis showed that Africa holds a significant unrecognized disease burden, with Nigeria being at the top of the list. The first World Health Organization African Melioidosis Workshop was organized in Lagos, Nigeria, with representatives of health authorities, microbiology laboratories, and clinical centers from across the continent. Dedicated hands-on training was given on laboratory diagnostics of B. pseudomallei. This report summarises the meeting objectives, including raising awareness of melioidosis and building capacity for the detection, diagnosis, biosafety, treatment, and prevention across Africa. Further, collaboration with regional and international experts provided a platform for sharing ideas on best practices.

Figure 1.

(A) Group photo of the First African Melioidosis Workshop at the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria, sponsored by the WHO. (B) Participants were divided into four groups during the focus group discussion. (C) Practical laboratory session provided a hands-on training. (D) Work during the practical laboratory session was performed with Burkholderia thailandensis. This figure appears in color at www.ajtmh.org.