Abstract

MESSINO JULIO, Alfredo  and  VILLEGAS VILLAREAL, lrene. Melioidosis en Costa Rica: Reporte del primer caso. Acta méd. costarric [online]. 2000, vol.42, n.3, pp.131-133. ISSN 0001-6002.

Melioidosis in an infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. This disease is endemie in areas of tropical Asia and Australia; there have been isolated reports of the disease in Central and South America. Here we report the first documented case of Melioidosis in Costa Rica in a patient without a history of traveling lo endemic areas. The patient was seen at the hospital because of sepsis and a community acquired bronchopneumonia. Due lo the rareness of this bacterial isolation in our country the corroboration of the diagnosis was delayed and subsequently the specific antibiotics were started 5 days later after the admission, this could have influenced the torpid evolution the patient had. This case should alert us and points lo the need of including this rare disease in the differential diagnosis of community acquired sepsis in our country.