Most cases of melioidosis occur outside of the United States, according to the CDC. But last year, four people in four different states were diagnosed with melioidosis after using a deodorizing aromatherapy spray sold at Walmart. Officials said two of the four died.
Symptoms of melioidosis are nonspecific and vary from person to person, the CDC said, but symptoms include fever, localized pain or swelling, chest pain and headache. People with diabetes, heavy alcohol use, chronic lung disease, chronic kidney disease, and immunosuppressive conditions are more susceptible to the bacteria. Officials said prompt diagnosis and antibiotics are key.
B. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is not the only thing in the soil that can cause disease.
Valley fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by a soil fungus in the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico and Central and South America. It’s contracted by breathing microscopic airborne fungal spores, although most people who inhale the spores don’t get sick, the CDC said. About 20,000 cases in 2019 The agency was informed, More from people living in Arizona or California.