Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is most commonly described in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia and some imported cases in non-endemic areas. We describe the case of a 55-year-old Omani man with fulminant sepsis who worked in Laos, Cambodia. B. pseudomallei was isolated from the patient's blood and was identified by means of microbiological and biochemical tests. We highlight the importance of careful attention to non-fermentative gram-negative rods in a septic patients who have worked or travelled to Southeast Asia.