What is cheesier than a Whitmore’s liver? An accidental diagnosis of melioidosis

Abstract

Despite the endemicity of Melioidosis in India, there were no official reports of the same case in our area which can be attributed to a lack of awareness of its occurrence in this geographic region, varied manifestations and consequent misdiagnosis. We report a case of Melioidosis from Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. A diabetic male presented with fever, jaundice, and breathlessness. Radiological investigations revealed abscesses in the liver and spleen with a swiss cheese or honey comb appearance on CECT abdomen. The patient rapidly succumbed to the illness even with appropriate antibiotics in view of delayed presentation. Pus aspirated from the patient isolated Burkholderia species which was later confirmed through molecular methods as Burkhloderia pseudomallei. Hence, it is advised to consider Melioidosis as a potential infection in this region, for a timely and appropriate management of the patient’s conditions.