Septicemic melioidosis in a young adult with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia major

Melioidosis, a neglected infection in Bangladesh, is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei and carries high mortality, if not diagnosed or treated timely. Individuals with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia major make a person especially vulnerable to Burkholderia pseudomallei infection owing to iron overload and immune dysfunction. Here, we report a fatal case of septicemic melioidosis in a 24-year-old man with Hb E β-thalassemia major who presented with fever, dyspnea, a cervical abscess, and septicemia. This case highlights the threat of melioidosis in thalassemia patients and emphasizes the importance of timely recognition and targeted therapy in endemic settings. July 2025; Vol. 19(2):008, DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.19.017 *Correspondence: Saika Farook, Department of Microbiology, Ibrahim Medical College, 1/A Ibrahim Sarani, Segunbagicha, Dhaka, Bangladesh. E-mail: [email protected]. © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License(CC BY 4.0).