Parotid abscess, suddenly discovered to be infected with ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria

On August 1, a representative of Phu Tho General Hospital said that the patient was initially diagnosed with diffuse inflammation in the right parotid area due to a salivary gland abscess. The abscess has progressed seriously, with the risk of spreading and causing many complications.

The patient had surgery to drain the abscess, take the pus fluid and send it to the Department of Microbiology for culture. The results determined that the patient was infected with Burkholderia pseudomallei bacteria – the causative agent of Whitmore’s disease (Melioidosis) – a dangerous infectious disease. The disease can cause complications such as septicemia and damage to many organs.

️The patient was treated with antibiotics, his fever is gone, the swelling in the abscess area has decreased.

It is unclear when and under what circumstances this person was infected with Whitmore bacteria.

Burkholderia pseudomallei bacteria is the causative agent of Whitmore’s disease, often called “flesh-eating” bacteria, mainly found in tropical climate countries. Recent statistics in Thailand and Singapore show that the rate of patients dying from sepsis caused by this agent is 40-50%. If the patient has severe pneumonia, the risk of death can be up to 75%.

Whitmore is also known as the “great imitator” because there is no specific clinical and pathological syndrome. Clinical symptoms are often very similar to other diseases such as tuberculosis, flu, and fever, so many cases are not detected early and confused with other diseases.

This bacteria often lives in soil, especially wet soil and polluted water. When there is an open wound, bacteria can easily enter the body, causing infection. The disease can progress seriously, causing damage to many organs, even death.

Currently, there is no vaccine for Whitmore disease. Doctors recommend that when working outdoors, you need to be fully equipped with labor protection such as gloves and boots to avoid direct contact with dirty soil and water. Ensure personal hygiene, regularly wash hands with soap and clean water, especially before and after preparing food, after going to the toilet, and working in the fields. Eat cooked food, drink boiled water, do not eat sick or dead meat or poultry.

Doctors recommend that you should not be subjective with signs such as swelling, heat, redness, and prolonged pain, especially when the swelling becomes larger, has fever or pus. Do not self-treat for a long time because it can mask the symptoms, causing the disease to progress more seriously, but you should go to the hospital for a check-up.