Drug-resistant shigella spreading through sexual contact

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 10 Oct, 17:48 · Archive

Shigella bacteria, which causes severe diarrhea, is becoming resistant to antibiotics and spreading more through sexual contact.

Shigella bacteria causes severe diarrhea with blood or mucus, stomach pain, cramps, fever and vomiting. The infection spreads when tiny amounts of faecal matter reach the mouth, through contaminated food or water, unwashed hands or sexual activity. As few as ten organisms are enough to cause illness.

Antibiotic resistance is the main concern. A CDC report tracking nearly 17,000 samples between 2011 and 2023 found that in 2023, 8.5% of samples with resistance data were extensively drug-resistant (XDR) — resistant to all five antibiotics in the CDC's definition — compared with none from 2011 to 2015. There is no FDA-approved oral antibiotic for XDR shigella.

The bacteria spreads through sexual contact more rapidly than through other routes. A study showed transmission through sex grew 15% faster year-over-year between 2015 and 2020 compared to spread through travel, food or nursery outbreaks. The CDC found that most people with XDR shigella were adult men. Shigella is particularly endemic in communities of men who have sex with men, though it also affects children under five in day-care settings and travellers to areas with lower sanitation standards.

How it is being reported

• Stomach-turning sexually transmitted infection is on the rise — and standard medicines are failingShigella bacteria are becoming harder to treat as drug-resistant strains rise, and doctors warn Americans should be concerned but not panicked.Fox News · 10 Oct, 17:28
• Sexually transmitted diarrhea is on the rise — and it’s morphing into a drug-resistant superbugThe infection is evolving into something that's "close to untreatable," one expert said.New York Post · 8 Oct, 18:34

In this story: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · United States · Oregon Trail

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