Fatal human melioidosis acquired in a subtropical Australian city

We describe an acute fatal human case of melioidosis acquired in Ipswich, a city at 27.5 degreesS in southern Queensland, south of the area traditiona lly considered endemic for melioidosis in Australia. Molecular typing revea led that this patient isolate was genetically distinct from 2 other human a nd I bovine isolates of Burkholderia pseudomallei from the same region and from 4 tropical northern Australian strains. This finding suggests that if B. pseudomallei has been introduced to the region from northern Australia, it was not in recent times, and there has not been a point source of infect ion. Burkholderia pseudomallei is present in temperate southern Queensland, which hitherto has not been well appreciated. Clinicians should consider t he diagnosis of acute melioidosis in patients with severe pneumonia or sept icemia acquired in subtropical areas such as southern Queensland, particula rly after heavy summer rains with flooding.