Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42552990›Full record

ArticleEmergency medicine Australasia : EMA2026

An Extraordinary Wet Season and a Surge of Melioidosis: A Retrospective Case Series From a Tropical Emergency Department.

Colin Banks, Amanda McConnell, Christopher S Heather, Maisie Stephen, Kristen-Jürgen Schroeder, Isaac Tredinnick, Shannon Wong, Vinay Gangathimmaiah

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Colin BanksTownsville University Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6477-7033
Amanda McConnellCairns Hospital, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3136-7548
Christopher S HeatherTownsville University Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3506-4536
Maisie StephenTownsville University Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Kristen-Jürgen SchroederTownsville University Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2171-8286
Isaac TredinnickTownsville University Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3429-918X
Shannon WongTownsville University Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3880-961X
Vinay GangathimmaiahTownsville University Hospital, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTownsville, North Queensland, experienced record rainfall in the 2024-2025 wet season with an associated surge in the number of patients with melioidosis. A large proportion presented to the Townsville University Hospital (TUH) emergency department (ED), presenting an opportunity to assess the surge from an ED perspective.

methodsThis was a retrospective case series of all patients with melioidosis that presented to TUH ED between 1 November 2024 and 30 April 2025. Cases for the entire region were sourced from the Statewide Reference Laboratory, and then individually assessed to ascertain whether they first presented to the TUH-ED.

resultsThere were 57 patients with confirmed melioidosis that presented to the TUH ED in the 2024-2025 wet season, 40 males and 17 females. Risk factors for melioidosis were present in 51 (88%), with diabetes being the most common (47%). ED blood cultures were taken in 54 patients and were positive in 36 (67%). All patients were admitted, with a median length of stay of 11 days; 12 (21%) patients had an intensive care admission, and hospital mortality was eight (14%). Pulmonary involvement was evident in 79% and prostatic involvement in 30% of males. Meropenem was administered in ED to 53% overall, and 80% of those with severe illness.

conclusionsThe surge of patients with melioidosis demonstrated a wide spectrum of infection foci and severity of illness. In melioidosis endemic regions following significant rainfall, we recommend to culture widely, administer meropenem for severe infections and consider melioidosis as a cause for unusual presentations.

Indexed as

Emergency Service, HospitalMelioidosisRainSeasonsAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQueenslandRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsTropical ClimateBurkholderia pseudomalleiemergency servicemelioidosissepsis

Identifiers

PMID42552990
PMCPMC13439333

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.