Environmental mapping shows monsoon melioidosispeak.

• Melioidosis is a bacterial infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, acquired through inoculation, inhalation, or ingestion of environmental saprophytes.
• The disease is influenced by environmental factors such as rainfall, temperature, and humidity.
• In 2016, The Lancet reported that about 1,65,000 people contract melioidosis annually worldwide, with South Asia contributing to 44% of the global burden.
• The disease has a unique ability to cause various clinical manifestations, with fatalities as high as 50% in septicaemic cases.
• The treatment of melioidosis requires an initial intravenous therapy followed by a prolonged eradication phase of 12-20 weeks.
• In India, melioidosis research has mainly focused on understanding the disease from the host perspective, with a focus on the presence of comorbidities, occupational factors, and behavioral factors.
• A study involving microbiologists at AIIMS Bhubaneswar and climate scientists at IIT Bhubaneswar aimed to identify and track the conditions that may facilitate the occurrence of melioidosis in Odisha.
• The study revealed a clear seasonality, with infections peaking during and after the monsoon season.
• The study also highlighted the potential of climate-driven disease modeling beyond melioidosis, especially for diseases influenced by environmental factors.