The prevalence of the indirect hemagglutination test for melioidosis in children in an endemic area.

The indirect hemaglutination test for melioidosis was studied in 295 children who live in the northeastern part of Thailand. Sixty-seven children (22.7%) were healthy children who came to the well baby clinic. Two hundred and twenty-eight children (77.3%) came to the hospital because of some illnesses other than melioidosis. Eighty-three percent of the children had an IHA titer of at least 1:10 or greater. Twenty-two percent had an IHA titer of 1:80 or greater. The prevalence of positive IHA titer and the mean titer were higher in the older age group. The age of children should be considered when interpreting IHA titer for milioidosis.