Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a 
bacterium endemic in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. In New Caledonia, 
sporadic cases were first described in 2005; since then, more cases have been 
identified. To improve our understanding of melioidosis epidemiology in New 
Caledonia, we compared the local cases and B. pseudomallei isolates with those 
from endemic areas. Nineteen melioidosis cases have been diagnosed in New 
Caledonia since 1999, mostly severe and with frequent bacteraemia, leading to 
three (16%) fatalities. All but one occurred in the North Province. Besides 
sporadic cases caused by non-clonal strains, we also identified a hotspot of 
transmission related to a clonal group of B. pseudomallei that is 
phylogenetically related to Australian strains.