Melioidosis of salivary glands with coexisting diabetes: management of a difficult case

Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by the gram-negative bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei. Melioidosis is endemic in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. An important risk factor for the development of melioidosis is the presence of diabetes mellitus, which may increase the relative risk of infection by as much as 100-fold. We report a rare case of melioidosis of the parotid and submandibular gland with coexisting diabetes. This was successfully managed conservatively with intravenous ceftazidime followed by trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and doxycycline.