Unusual cases of melioidosis infection in cancer patients in North India: Covert peril for oncology care

Melioidosis is a life-threatening, emerging infectious disease caused by the environmental bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei . The disease is called “ the Great Mimicker ” because it has a wide range of clinical presentations and can be commonly mistaken for tuberculosis, pneumonia, and other pyogenic infections. Early diagnosis of this disease is essential, as the case-fatality rate is very high, up to 30-47%, and may range from 40% to 75% in immunocompromised patients. We presented an interesting case report of two patients from the North India Oncology Center, where oncologists initially confirmed the diagnosis as cancer and later noted melioidosis as the primary infection. Both patients survived after receiving appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Our case report aims to enumerate the clinical presentation and histopathological and microbiological findings along the clinical course of this disease.