Most common form of melioidosis -

Ans. is 'b' i.e., Pulmonary infection Burkholderia pseudomallei* It is also known as Whitmore's bacillus.* It is aerobic gram negative bacillus.* It is motile which differentiate it from nonmotile B. mallei.* It shows typical bipolar 'safety pin' appearance with methylene blue stain.* It is free living saprophyte normally found in soil, ponds and rice paddies and on products from endemic areas.* It produces two heat labile toxins, one lethal and other necrotising.* It causes Meliodosis. Most common manifestation of melioidosis is acute pulmonary manifestation. Other manifestations are acute septicemia, localized skin infection, suppurative parotitis and chronic infections.* Virtually every organ can be affected and hence meliodosis has been called the "great imitator" of other infectious disease.* Isolation of organism on selective medium is diagnostic.* Ceftazidime is the drug of choice. Carbapenems (imipenem, meropenem) are also first line drugs.Meliodosis is also known as Vietnam Time-Bomb disease.