​“In the winter of 1906 I was called on to investigate a household epidemic of typhoid fever which had broken out in the latter part of August at Oyster Bay, New York”
 
Wow! They don’t write journal articles like that anymore. It sounds like an opening from a Sherlock Holmes story, or some other detective or investigator dreamed up by H.P. Lovecraft. Instead, it’s the opening sentence of a scientific article entitled “The work of a chronic typhoid germ distributor” from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) way back in 1907, by a chap called George Soper (the hero of our story), and it deals with one of the most famous/infamous outbreaks of typhoid of modern times.
 
Cue dramatic music…!

“May I discuss a patient with you please?” asked the ward Doctor.
 
“You want to discuss a patient? Okay, but this telephone line is terrible” replied the Microbiologist, wondering whether the “new” telephone system in the hospital was really an “improvement”.
 
“Sorry, it’s a bit difficult to hear you” said the ward Doctor, “I wanted to discuss a patient with enlarged glands in the neck.”
 
“What?!” exclaimed the Microbiologist, “you think your patient has glanders! Why do you think they have glanders?”
 
“Yes, they have large glands …in their neck.”
 
“Glanders is extremely rare, and very severe, have you started antibiotics?”
 
“Yes, we want to start antibiotics.”
 
The telephone line was still terrible, and the Microbiologist was starting to get really worried. He looked at the number listed on the phone recognising it as the Acute Medical Unit where patients were admitted.
 
“I’m coming to you, wait for me there” said the Microbiologist putting down the phone.
 
“Blooming Microbiologist,” muttered the ward Doctor, “he just hung up on me!”
 
What is glanders?
Glanders is principally an infection of “solipeds” …that’s horses, donkeys and mules to you and me. It is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei, a small, Gram-negative, oxidase positive, bacillus, that only replicates inside its living host being unable to survive in the environment. B. mallei is not to be confused with a similar bacterium I blogged about way, way, back in 2017 called Burkholderia pseudomallei which causes a condition called melliodosis and which is able to survive in the environment!

“Hello Dad, how are you today?” asked Thor, the God of Thunder.
 
“To be honest son, I’m a bit under the weather really. I’ve managed to catch Covid-19 from Hela, your sister, and I’ve just called to let you know you’re a contact and need to test and self-isolate” said Odin.
 
“It’s okay father, I don’t need to worry. I will smite this dastardly virus with my mighty hammer, Mjolnir. No virus is going to get the God of Thunder so easily”