The isolation of Pseudomonas pseudomallei from soil in North Queensland.

Abstract

Evidence is well documented that Pseudomonas pseudomallei, the cause of melioidosis in animals and man, is a soil organism that occurs mainly in tropical and sub-tropical climates (Cambon 1955: Forunier 1965; Jananetra et al 1974). This letter is to report the idolation of 9 strains of Ps. pseudomallei from the soil and 3 strains from muddy water that drained into artifically-made holes in a 5 ha sheep paddock at the Animal Health Station, Oonoonba, where natural infections occur yearly during the wet season. The morphological, cultural and biochemical characteristics of the isolates agreed with those set down by Cottew (1950) and Laws (1964).