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3w ago

CDC Flags Rapid Rise of Extensively Drug-Resistant Shigella in U.S.

The agency warns the strain is spreading within the country, leaving no approved oral treatments.

Illustration of Shigella sp. bacteria. These rod shaped of bacteria have hair-like flagella that are used for motility. Shigella infection in humans can cause diarrhoea and dysentery due to the invasion of the epithelial lining of the colon and toxin release, which results in inflammation of the gut. The condition is known as Shigellosis and exposure to the bacteria is commonly through contaminated food, water or hands.
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Overview

  • A new CDC analysis finds extensively drug-resistant Shigella climbed to 8.5% of U.S. isolates in 2023 after first appearing in 2016.
  • Investigators reviewed more than 16,700 samples through October 2023 and identified 510 resistant isolates within the first 10 months of 2023.
  • Most recent cases occurred in adults, largely men, and the majority had no recent international travel, pointing to domestic transmission.
  • No FDA-approved oral antibiotics work against these strains, so severe infections may require hospital care with intravenous drugs guided by susceptibility testing.
  • Shigella spreads through fecal-oral contact, including contaminated food, water, or sexual contact, and the CDC urges handwashing, safe swimming habits, and rapid reporting to limit spread in a nation that sees about 450,000 infections each year.