Six cases of suppurative lymphadenitis caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei infection

Melioidosis, an infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is endemic in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. It can have various presentations, ranging from acute septicaemia to chronic localized infection. Uncomplicated, localized infection usually involves skin or subcutaneous tissues. Suppurative lymphadenitis caused by melioidosis has been rarely encountered by clinicians practicing in endemic areas. We encountered six cases of suppurative lymphadenitis caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei in adults who were admitted to hospital in Singapore from 1997 to 2000. The most striking difference between these patients and cases reported previously was the pattern of the lymph node involvement. In the majority of previously described patients the infected lymph nodes were in the head and neck region. By contrast, four patients in our study presented with unilateral, inguinal lymphadenitis. Another two patients presented with mediastinal lymphadenitis and prolonged fever. All patients had prompt and sustained response to therapy. Melioidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of suppurative, regional lymphadenitis, especially in patients who travelled to, or stayed in, an endemic area.