Aussie dad's warning after invisible killer 'pops up' during garden renovation: 'Three people died'

WARNING — GRAPHIC IMAGES: On a rainy afternoon earlier this year, Mark spent several hours landscaping his suburban Darwin garden with the hope of making his property more appealing to potential buyers.

“I was doing a lot of digging, laying new turf and plants and whatnot,” the 59-year-old told Yahoo News Australia on Monday. “I was actually doing it sometimes while it was raining because it was nice and cool.”

Tragically, he had no idea that decision would almost cost him his life.

“That’s how I caught melioidosis,” he said of the debilitating and potentially fatal disease. “The garden I was working on was a tiny, little garden but it’s still in the soil. It’s in the soil everywhere. It really is so easy to catch.”

Melioidosis, an infectious illness caused by bacteria that lives in tropical dirt and water, has claimed the lives of five people in the Northern Territory over the past 12 months. Cases in the state are expected to spike again this summer, with Professor in Medicine Bart Currie warning Yahoo last week the bacteria will “pop up in various places” around the country in the future.

Aussie dad 'unaware' he had deadly garden disease

Weeks after kicking off the home renovation project in January — peak wet season in the Northern Territory — Mark said he began to feel lethargic and “had a bit of a cough”.

Believing it was simply a summer flu, the Aussie dad continued to work as a truck driver and fix up the backyard in his spare time.

“Then I woke up one night at 3.30am and woke my partner up and said ‘I’m having real trouble breathing’,” he said, noting he had complained about sore ribs just a few days earlier but had “no idea” what was to come.

After being rushed to the Royal Darwin Hospital, the dad told Yahoo he “deteriorated” quickly.

“Within two hours I was placed in an induced coma and as it transpired my left lung had collapsed, one of my kidneys and my liver had failed. I was like that for just a bit over three weeks,” he explained, adding doctors immediately began pumping antibiotics into his system.

During that time septicaemia set in, resulting in gangrene to form “all over” his feet and on one of his hands. It was then Mark said Professor Currie, who was leading his care, told his partner Sue her beloved was “the sickest man in the NT”.

• Aussies on high alert after silent garden killer claims five lives

• Caravan family's warning after mistake leaves them 'extremely sick'

• Newlywed's horror gardening accident with ride-on lawn mower

Melioidosis infection leads to amputations on feet and hand

Miraculously, the 59-year-old who said he owes Professor Currie his life, pulled through — spending roughly 11 weeks in hospital and rehab before being discharged. But his battle didn’t end there.

In June, he was forced to have a toe on each foot amputated. A couple of weeks ago the dad lost part of a finger on his left hand. Almost a year after he first inhaled the bacteria, Mark is still undergoing regular tests and is unable to feel both of his feet from the ankle down.

“The period of time I was in the ICU three people died from it,” he said. “It doesn’t discriminate. My immune system wasn’t bad at all… because I had probably had it for two to three weeks and let it sort of breed basically in my body, is how it ended up so bad.”

While melioidosis — nicknamed the “great mimicker” due to its difficulty to diagnose — is most commonly contracted through cuts on the skin, the “most serious way” people can catch it is when they breathe it in during a severe weather event, Professor Currie with the Menzies School of Health Research previously told Yahoo.

Although the majority of people living in the NT are aware of the disease, Mark is warning locals not to become complacent. “Just wear your gloves, don’t even go near the water in the wet season with any open wounds,” he said, urging others not to walk around outside “at all” while it is raining.

How do you avoid catching melioidosis?

Given there is no way of eradicating melioidosis from soil, and a potential vaccine is still at least a few years away, it is recommended people in the north of the country avoid coming into contact with the bacteria by staying indoors during storms, and heavy wind and rain.

People should also wear gloves and a mask that covers the mouth and nose when handling soil, particularly during the wet season. Any cuts or wounds should be washed and kept covered with clean dressings, according to NT Health. Closed footwear is also recommended for gardening or excavations.

Those who have risk factors for melioidosis such as diabetes, heavy alcohol consumption, cancer, kidney and lung disease, should make sure bore water is disinfected before drinking and showering and are urged to cut back on the booze.

Anyone who has previously had melioidosis can get infected again.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.