The death of a woman from a rare bacterial infection in Townsville has highlighted the dangers facing residents cleaning up after the region's major flood event.

The person, understood to be a woman in her 50s, died after contracting melioidosis, a condition caused by a type of bacteria which is commonly found in soil, especially in the tropics.

Chris Mitchell removes flood damaged items out of his father in-law's house in the suburb of Rosslea in flood-affected Townsville Credit:Dan Peled/AAP

There have been nine other recorded cases of melioidosis so far following the recent flooding in Townsville, all of which required hospitalisation.

Dr Mark Blaskovich from the UQ Institute for Molecular Bioscience said normally people would not come into contact with the bacteria, but when floods receded, they left behind mud laced with the microbes.