Melioidosis

Overview

Melioidosis, also called Whitmore’s disease, is a serious and life-threatening disease caused by an infection of the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. pseudomallei). The disease is common in Southeast Asia and northern Australia and has been noted sporadically in other regions of the world.1

Individuals can become infected with B. pseudomallei by coming into contact with contaminated soil or water through eating or drinking, breathing in dust containing the bacterium, or through cuts on the skin. Infections are more common during periods of high rainfall.2

Symptoms

An infection with B. pseudomallei may not cause any illness or can cause a range of mild to severe symptoms.

The most common symptoms of melioidosis include:1,2

  1. Fever
  2. Cough
  3. Chest pain
  4. Headache
  5. Muscle or joint pain

Aceragen is developing ACG-701, an investigational oral antibiotic for the treatment of melioidosis.

We are conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial (the TERRA study) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ACG-701 in individuals with melioidosis.

For more information on the TERRA study, please refer to ClinicalTrials.gov.

Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Please note, these links are provided for informational purposes for patients, families, and healthcare providers. Aceragen does not endorse any particular organization or the content on their websites.

References:

  1. “Melioidosis”. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July 2, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/melioidosis/index.html
  2. Currie, B.J.A., Nicholas M., Melioidosis: Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis in UpToDate, D.J. Sexton, Editor. 2022.