CDC warns of increase of drug-resistant bacteria Shigella

FAN Editor

The CDC said that clinicians should educate those most at risk of infection.

February 26, 2023, 7:30 PM

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory on Friday about an increase in the antibiotic-resistant bacteria called Shigella.

According to the CDC, Shigella is highly infectious and causes around 450,000 infections in the U.S. every year.

Shigella is transmitted by changing the diaper of a sick infant, by getting the bacteria on your hands and then touching your mouth, through sexual contact and by contaminated food and water, the CDC said in its advisory.

Usually, people recover without needing treatment, but those with severe cases or with underlying conditions that weaken the immune system may need to be treated with antibiotics.

Antimicrobial treatment options are limited to medical staff treating patients with XDR strains of Shigella, according to the CDC.

PHOTO: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters is located in Atlanta, Sept. 30, 2014.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters is located in Atlanta, Sept. 30, 2014.

Tami Chappell/Reuters, FILE

Last year, 5% of Shigella infections reported to the CDC were caused by the XDR strain of the bacteria. In 2015, there weren’t any infections reported to the public health agency.

The agency has asked healthcare professionals to be alert about suspecting and reporting cases of the XDR variant of Shigella to local and state health departments “given these potentially serious public health concerns.”

The CDC said that healthcare staff should also educate their patients and communities who are most at risk of infection about prevention and how it’s spread.

According to the CDC, the most at-risk groups of the antimicrobial-resistant version of Shigella are primarily men who sleep with men, people experiencing homelessness, international travelers and people living with HIV.

ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.

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