General Information - Glanders

What is glanders?

Glanders is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei. It is primarily a disease of horses, donkeys, and mules, though other animals such as goats, cats and dogs can be infected. The organism is not found in the environment, existing only in infected animals. Human infection is very rare, and generally requires prolonged close contact with infected animals. However, the infection may be rapidly fatal.

What is its bioterrorism potential?

There have been attempts to weaponise B. mallei in the past. The organism can be spread efficiently by the airborne route (which would lead to inhalation of the organism) and has the ability to cause a rapidly fatal infection.

How do you catch glanders?

Human infection may be acquired following close contact with infected animals, but it can also occur following accidental exposure in a microbiology laboratory. It is likely that infection occurs via cuts or wounds, by direct contact with the eyes and nose, by inhalation, and possibly by ingestion. Infection by inhalation is the most likely following a deliberate release.

How long can you have the infection before developing symptoms?

The usual incubation period before symptoms appear is from 10 to 14 days but may be as long as several weeks. Long latent intervals (of many years) have been reported for this disease. The incubation period is extremely variable and probably depends on a number of factors including, the route of infection and the immune status of the host.

What are the symptoms?

There are different forms of disease in humans, depending on the route of infection. General symptoms include fever, sweats, malaise, and muscle aches. All forms of disease could follow a deliberate release.

Acute localised skin infection, with ulceration, discharge and swollen lymph nodes.
Lung infection – usually involves pneumonia, lung abscesses or "fluid on the lung", symptoms include chest pain, cough and shortness of breath.
Bloodstream infection ('blood poisoning' or 'septicaemia') – any infection type can progress to invasion of the bloodstream; this is usually rapidly fatal. Symptoms include very high fever, fast heart rate, and often a rash.
Chronic infection – this form of disease would present more slowly following a deliberate release than the above three forms. The usual symptoms are abscesses in the skin and muscles, or more rarely, the liver and spleen. Recovery is possible, or the disease may progress to the bloodstream form.

How can glanders be treated?

Untreated severe disease has a high mortality rate, and because the disease has been so rare over the past 50 years few cases have been treated with antibiotics. However, prompt diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic treatment can decrease severity of disease and improve survival.

How can glanders be prevented?

There is no vaccine. Although the risk of transmission to other people is probably small, cases should be isolated. Prevention of naturally occurring disease involves the detection and eradication of infected animal cases.

How common is glanders?

Human cases are extremely rare. Animal glanders was eliminated from the United Kingdom, United States of America and Canada in the early part of the 20th century, but still occurs occasionally in parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America.

Last reviewed: 11 June 2010