CDC warns of potentially deadly invasive bacteria found in southern Gulf states: What to know

Researchers have discovered a foreign microbe so deadly it's considered a bioterrorism agent growing wild in the U.S. ‒ specifically in states along the Gulf of Mexico.

That much we know for sure. Yet a person innocently Googling "Burkholderia pseudomallei," the bug's scientific name, and "Gulf of Mexico" could sure come away with the wrong impression ‒ namely that the stuff is floating around out there and anyone who swallows or even breathes it in has a 50/50 chance of dying from it.

Not so fast. Yes, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned about it. Yes, researchers have found it in Mississippi and Texas, but in fresh water and soil. Yes, they're concerned about it spreading. Yes, it can be deadly, but to immunocompromised people ‒ most healthy folks who get it shake it off without missing a beat.