Researchers come together to find treatment for melioidosis, as northern Australia prepares for the wet season

It's the quiet killer lurking in top end gardens, an infectious disease found in soil and water across the top end. These bacteria, they evolved here in northern Australia, they're a part of our nature, part of our environment, they have a role with plants and things. Whereas we as humans are just incidental” Darwin is the frontier for Melioidosis research, and this week played host to a congress of international experts in the field. “The big takeaways are that there are advancements in the treatment of melioidosis which is really good, so more people are living longer, when they get infected there used to be a high mortality rate but that’s been reduced, as well as people identifying it in the environment as well as in clinical settings.” The disease is now spreading to new areas, with outbreaks in Hong Kong this week, and even cases detected in Mississippi in the US. “We had previous human cases, but that was the first time it had been isolated in the environment in the main continental united states and so that sort of changed the dynamic there.” International researchers looking to Australia for advice on how to tackle the dirt disease. “I've done environmental sampling in Puerto Rico, the us Virgin Islands and the main parts of the US, but I learnt here at Menzies school of research.” Territory scientists have driven down mortality rates. But the disease is still a threat and this year’s early rain brings an increased risk. “We've actually instituted some of our melioidosis preventative work in our emergency department in the hospital and in the laboratory, we actually switched to a wet season protocol to be really on the lookout.” “A reminder to take safety precautions where you can wearing gloves and closed shoes, and keep an eye out for symptoms if dirt gets into any cuts or wounds.”