Survival of Burkholderia pseudomallei and pathogenic leptospira in cola, beer, energy drinks, and sports drinks

Burkholderia pseudomallei and pathogenic Leptospira in contaminated drinking water can cause melioidosis and leptospirosis, respectively. Here, we evaluated their survival in beverages. We mixed six isolates (three isolates per organism) in four beverages (Coca-Cola^®, Red Bull^®, Singha^® beer, and Gatorade^®) and distilled water as the control at two final concentrations (1 × 10⁷ colony-forming units [CFU]/mL and 1 × 10³ CFU/mL). The solution was kept at two temperatures (37°C and 4°C). At 4°C and at the high concentration, pathogenic Leptospira survived in Coca-Cola^® up to 3 minutes and in Singha, Red Bull^®, and Gatorade up to 15 minutes, whereas B. pseudomallei survived in these beverages up to 8 hours, and 14, 14, and 28 days, respectively. The survival time of both organisms was shorter at 37°C (P = 0.01) and at the lower concentration (P = 0.001). In conclusion, Leptospira can survive in some beverages for up to 15 minutes, whereas B. pseudomallei can survive in some beverages for up to 4 weeks.