Abstract

Melioidosis is an endemic disease in Southeast Asia and northern Australia caused by a Gram-negative bacillus called Burkholderia pseudomallei. In Latin America sporadic cases have been reported in multiple countries and in Costa Rica two cases have been documented so far. We present the case of a 17 year old female who entered the medical center with fever, purulent sputum, low back pain, dyspnoea, tachycardia, increased acute phase markers and lymphopenia, as well as a chest x-ray that documented a bronchial circumscribed infiltrate airway at the right upper lobe level. At 48 hours of hospitalization, she developed severe respiratory and circulatory failure. The blood cultures, bronchial secretion and pleural fluid analyzed were reported positive by the agent Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Keywords: Burkholderia pseudomallei; melioidosis; septic shock; Costa Rica