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Sudden unexplained death syndrome – a new manifestation in melioidosis?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

E. H. Yap ,
Y. C. Chan ,
K. T. Goh ,
T. C. Chao ,
B. H. Heng ,
T. W. Thong ,
H. C. Tan ,
K. T. Thong ,
E. Jacob  and
M. Singh
E. H. Yap
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore0511
Y. C. Chan
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore0511
K. T. Goh
Affiliation:
Quarantine and Epidemiology Department, Ministry of the Environment, Singapore
T. C. Chao
Affiliation:
Institute of Science and Forensic Medicine, Ministry of Health, Singapore
B. H. Heng
Affiliation:
Quarantine and Epidemiology Department, Ministry of the Environment, Singapore
T. W. Thong
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore0511
H. C. Tan
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore0511
K. T. Thong
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore0511
E. Jacob
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital
M. Singh
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore0511
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The indirect haemagglutination (IHA) test using sensitized turkey erythrocytes and the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IgM-IFA) was confirmed to be sensitive in the detection of a recent or current Pseudomonas pseudomallei infection in 19 culture-confirmed Singapore melioidosis patients. All were found to have antibody titres from 4 to 32 768 in the IHA test and 10 to 320 in the IgM-IFA test. When these tests were employed on sera from 16 immigrant Thai construction workers who died of sudden unexplained death syndrome (SUDS) and 73 healthy Thai fellow workers, 93·8% and 68·8% of SUDS cases had IHA titre of ≥ 4 and IgM-IFA titre of ≥ 10 respectively, in contrast to 39·7% and 12·3% found among healthy Thai workers. These data indicate that at the time of death, most of the SUDS patients had an active infection with P. pseudomallei, possibly resulting from reactivation of a latent infection. The aetiological role of P. pseudomallei as the major cause of SUDS is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 107 , Issue 3 , December 1991 , pp. 577 - 584
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

References

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