In the United States, several people have been infected with a bacterium that is potentially very dangerous for humans. They had used a kind of essential oil spray that had been contaminated. The giant retailer across the Atlantic Walmart quickly launched a recall of these products.
Burkholderia pseudomallei (or Whitmore bacillus) is a bacterium responsible for melioidosis in humans. It is an infectious disease transmitted by air or skin. Potentially fatal for humans, this type of infection is logically taken very seriously. As reported by the US channel NBC News in an article dated October 23, 2021, four people were infected in four different states:Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota and Texas.
Usually Whitmore's bacillus is found in contaminated waters (and soils) in Southeast Asia or northern Australia. Moreover, only a dozen people per year are diagnosed with cases of melioidosis in the United States. It is almost always people returning from travel.
The fact is that the four recent patients have not left the territory and had never even traveled outside the United States. The authorities were therefore concerned, especially since two of the four people lost their lives – including one child.
So the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched an investigation. However, the samples and other analyzes carried out on the patients did not yield any results. Finally, the experts found the source of the problem by testing a essential oil spray with lavender in Georgia's patient. The bacteria had therefore contaminated this product, which the investigators ended up finding in each of the patients. It turns out that the spray in question has been marketed across the country, via the famous supermarket chain Walmart. No less than55 stores distributed the product , as well as the online sales website. The authorities therefore very quickly contacted Walmart in order to recall all the products already sold.
Recall in passing that melioidosis has acute, chronic and latent forms. There are two acute forms:peracute sepsis and acute localized melioidosis. The first of these forms has the following symptoms:respiratory failure, neurological impairment, vomiting, high fever, profuse diarrhea, skin lesions and abscess. Unfortunately, spontaneous mortality is inevitable.
