A deadly bacteria which kills around half of those infected is now considered 'endemic' to multiple states along the Gulf Coast of the US.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported three cases of infection in humans from the bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei which causes melioidosis and can be fatal if left untreated.
A CDC expert has said the bacteria is lurking in soil and stagnant water across the 1,600 miles of Gulf Coast from Texas, through, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama to Florida.
