Melioidosis is a potentially life-threatening disease caused by the soil-dwelling bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Melioidosis is a common cause of serious pneumonia and blood poisoning in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. The bacteria live below the soil's surface during the dry season, but after heavy rainfall can move to surface water and mud. They can then become airborne.

Recent wet seasons have seen a dramatic increase in cases of melioidosis. As Darwin’s urban areas spread and irrigation schemes and agriculture encroach into the desert, there is an even greater risk of spread of melioidosis.

Our research focus:
  • To reduce the number of deaths from melioidosis, through early diagnosis.
Our research impact:
  • Helped to halve the death rate of melioidosis in the NT through a 31+-year prospective study—The Darwin Prospective Melioidosis Study (DPMS). With faster diagnosis and treatment, mortality rates fell from over 30% to around 10%.
  • Documented and described the very diverse range of melioidosis symptoms through the analysis of over 1000 cases
  • Defined the incubation period for melioidosis and the frequency of chronic disease and reactivation
  • Developed the current treatment guidelines for melioidosis, which are now used globally
  • Genetic profiling of Australian B. pseudomallei bacteria suggests that the bacterium evolved in Australia and then spread to Southeast Asia and further afield
  • Discovered that introduced grasses in the NT harbour particularly high numbers of melioidosis bacteria. This discovery may well impact current agricultural development in Northern Australia where non-native grasses are widely planted
  • Found that melioidosis bacteria may be carried and spread by birds
  • Discovered that melioidosis bacteria are common in un-chlorinated bore water in the NT
  • Described using genomics the first confirmed linkage of B. pseudomallei in storm air samples to an individual case of inhalational melioidosis
  • Tested a number of new “point of care” diagnostics that are now being used in resource-poor settings overseas
  • Used genomics to identify melioidosis transmission routes from environment to both humans and animals
  • With veterinary colleagues described epidemiological and clinical aspects of melioidosis in animals, including in novel species  
  • Taken on responsibility for curating the MLST database of global B. pseudomallei from colleagues around the world.
Key staff:
  1. Majoni, S.W., Hughes, J.T., Heron, B., Currie, B.J. (2017) Trimethoprim+sulfamethoxazole reduces rates of melioidosis in high risk haemodialysis patients. Kidney International Reports. (accepted 12 Sept 2017). www.kireports.org/#/article/S2468-0249(17)30391-1/fulltext
  2. Wiersinga, W. J., Currie, B. J., & Peacock, S. J. (2012). Medical progress: Melioidosis. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(11), 1035-1044.
  3. Sarovich, D. S., Price, E. P., von Schulze, A. T., Cook, J. M., Mayo, M., Watson, L. M., et al. (2012). Characterization of ceftazidime resistance mechanisms in clinical isolates of burkholderia pseudomallei from Australia. PLoS ONE, 7(2).
  4. Parameswaran, U., Baird, R. W., Ward, L. M., & Currie, B. J. (2012). Melioidosis at royal darwin hospital in the big 2009-2010 wet season: Comparison with the preceding 20 years. Medical Journal of Australia, 196(5), 345-348.
  5. Meumann, E. M., Cheng, A. C., Ward, L., & Currie, B. J. (2012). Clinical features and epidemiology of melioidosis pneumonia: Results from a 21-year study and review of the literature. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 54(3), 362-369.
  6. Kaestli, M., Schmid, M., Mayo, M., Rothballer, M., Harrington, G., Richardson, L., et al. (2012). Out of the ground: Aerial and exotic habitats of the melioidosis bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei in grasses in Australia. Environmental Microbiology, 14(8), 2058-2070.
  7. Kaestli, M., Richardson, L. J., Colman, R. E., Tuanyok, A., Price, E. P., Bowers, J. R., et al. (2012). Comparison of TaqMan PCR assays for detection of the melioidosis agent Burkholderia pseudomallei in clinical specimens. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 50(6), 2059-2062.
  8. Mayo, M., Kaestli, M., Harrington, G., Cheng, A. C., Ward, L., Karp, D., et al. (2011). Burkholderia pseudomallei in unchlorinated domestic bore water, tropical northern Australia. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 17(7), 1283-1285.
  9. Mattar, S., Hampton, V., Kaestli, M., Mayo, M., Choy, J. L., Harrington, G., et al. (2011). Melioidosis in birds and burkholderia pseudomallei dispersal, Australia. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 17(7), 1310-1312.
  10. Currie, B. J., Ward, L., & Cheng, A. C. (2010). The epidemiology and clinical spectrum of melioidosis: 540 cases from the 20 year darwin prospective study. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 4(11).
  11. Currie, B. J., Haslem, A., Pearson, T., Hornstra, H., Leadem, B., Mayo, M., et al. (2009). Identification of melioidosis outbreak by multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 15(2), 169-174.
Click here to view more melioidosis publications in PubMed.
  1. Sunday Territorian | Deadly bacteria cases surge

  2. Nine News | Melioidosis

  3. NMRC Researchers Utilize a Unique Study Platform to Examine Multiple Diseases in Australia

  4. Q&A: What You Need to Know About Melioidosis

  5. NT News | Melioidosis death rates drop to 6%

  6. Nine News Darwin: Fewer Deaths From Melioidosis

  7. ABC Online | Thirty-year Menzies melioidosis study finds cases are rising but mortality has tumbled

  8. Fewer deaths from melioidosis direct result of 30-year study

  9. 9 News Darwin | Melioidosis warning

  10. ABC News | Melioidosis story

  11. Tackling the Top End's deadly dirt disease at the source

  12. Melioidosis research traces source to reduce spread

  13. Tropical disease kills crocodiles in NT

  14. ABC Online | Deadly bacteria killed two crocodiles in northern Australia, despite species being highly resistant

  15. Deadly bacteria killed two crocodiles in northern Australia

  16. Media Release | Crocodile killing bacteria identified by Top End researchers

  17. Killer disease strikes crocs

  18. Media Alert | Crocodile killing bacteria identified by Top End researchers

  19. Source water key to bacterial water safety in remote Northern Australia

  20. Media Release | Source water holds key to bacterial water safety in remote North

  21. Cases of deadly dirt disease melioidosis will increase, expert warns

  22. NMRC Strives to Reduce Risk of Melioidosis Among Deployed Sailors and Marines

  23. Territory sporting great, tough battle with melioidosis | NT News

  24. Building genomics expertise in the NT

  25. Melioidosis study improves patient outcomes

  26. Melioidosis: More cases of potentially fatal bacteria from NT dirt emerge

  27. Menzies helps track the travels of the deadly melioidosis bacteria

  28. Melioidosis: The Most Neglected Tropical Disease

  29. Jessica Webb 2016: Barbara Hale Fellowship Winner

  30. Menzies melioidosis project recognised among Australia's best

  31. ABC Catalyst: Melioidosis feature

  32. The melioidosis files