Based in Brazil, Fernanda Ferreira is a science writer who covers a range of STEM (and occasionally non-STEM) topics, from textile conservation to vaccine stockpiles.
Melioidosis is so unknown and underfunded that to call it a “neglected tropical disease” would be an euphemism. In most of the world melioidosis is seen as an “imported disease” and correct diagnosis often depends on analyzing the patient’s last vacation destination. However, a recently published Nature Microbiology study suggests that the global distribution of melioidosis’ causative agent Burkholderia pseudomallei is significantly vaster and the number of cases much higher than expected.
