Melioidosis is the name used to describe any infection of humans and a wide range of other animals caused by the saprophytic environmental bacterium Burkholderia (formerly Pseudomonas) pseudomallei. Originally identified by Whitmore and Krishnaswami in Rangoon, Burma, in 1911,^[1] it is increasingly recognized as an important indigenous infection in many tropical and sub-tropical regions, but is probably greatly under-diagnosed.^[2,3] This increasing recognition, including travel-associated cases, along with its potential as a biological weapon, has seen a surge of interest in the disease in recent years.^[3–5]