Melioidosis, an emerging infectious disease that affects both humans and animals, is caused by the soil-dwelling bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is endemic in South and Southeast Asia, and northern Australia, causing an estimated 165,000 human cases annually worldwide. Human cases have been reported in the French West Indies (Martinique and Guadeloupe) since the 1990s. Conversely, no human cases have been reported in French Guiana, a French territory in South America. Our study aimed to investigate whether B. pseudomallei is locally established in Guadeloupe and French Guiana using animals as a proxy.

Blood samples were collected from different animals from 56 farms in French Guiana (n = 670) and from two goat farms in Les Saintes (n = 31), part of the Guadeloupe archipelago and tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In Les Saintes, a serological follow-up was performed, and soil, water and goat rectal swabs were collected and analyzed by culture and PCR. The highest seroprevalence rates (39%) were observed in goats in Les Saintes, followed by horses (24%) and cattle (16%) in French Guiana. In the two goat farms, supplementary analyses detected B. pseudomallei from one goat rectal swab, and a B. pseudomallei strain was isolated from the soil.