FieldDxMelioidosisClinical signs, differential diagnosis, treatment and prevention in goats, sheep, pigs and horses.
Overview
A bacterial infection of both animals and people, endemic in soil and water across southeast Asia and northern Australia. Burkholderia pseudomallei, acquired by inhalation, wound contamination, or ingestion from the environment.
Clinical signs
- Fever, anorexia and swollen glands.
- Sepsis, pneumonia and visceral abscesses.
- Suppurative or caseous nodules in any organ.
- Respiratory distress with mucopurulent discharge.
- Lameness from septic arthritis.
- Skin lesions progressing to a papular form.
- CNS disease: circling, incoordination, blindness.
- Diarrhoea and oedema of the limbs.
Predisposing factors
- Moving naive animals into an endemic region.
- Immunocompromising conditions.
- Contact with contaminated soil and water.
- Heavy rain, flooding, high humidity and high temperature.
Look-alikes to rule out
Treatment
- Intravenous beta-lactam or carbapenem for 2-4 weeks.
- Then trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for 3-6 months.
- Chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole, doxycycline or amoxicillin-clavulanate as alternatives.
- Surgical drainage of abscesses.
- Choose the drug on culture and susceptibility.
Drugs mentioned: Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole Amoxicillin/Clavulanate Chloramphenicol Amoxicillin Doxycycline
Prevention
1. Raise animals off the soil. 2. Keep stock out of muddy or flooded ground. 3. Provide clean drinking water, chlorinated or filtered. 4. Limit environmental contamination from diseased animals. 5. No effective vaccine is available. 6. Pasteurise commercial goat milk in the tropics.
Source
MSD Veterinary Manual — Melioidosis in Animals (accessed 2026-07-31)
A Textbook of the Diseases of Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Pigs and Goat by ELSEVIER — Melioidosis
Condensed and attributed, never reproduced whole. Open the full entry in the app.