A Case of Septicaemic Melioidosis: Utility of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and High-Dose Meropenem in Successful Management

Melioidosis is an emerging infectious disease of major public health importance. We describe a patient who presented with septicaemic melioidosis with multi-organ dysfunction. He had only marginal response on standard doses of meropenem. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) revealed suboptimal concentration of meropenem following which drug dose was increased, with which he showed rapid clinical improvement and microbiological clearance. Melioidosis presents with multisystem involvement with disseminated abscess, standard dosing of meropenem may not be sufficient in achieving therapeutic levels and TDM with increased dosing in these critically ill patients will improve outcome.