The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a health advisory about the growing cases of an antimicrobial-resistant strain of Shigella bacteria.
Drug-Resistant Strain of Shigella Bacteria on the Rise
A new report from CDC revealed that Shigella is highly infectious and causes around 450,000 infections in the United States annually. It is transmitted in several ways, including changing the diaper of a sick infant by getting the bacteria on your hands and then touching the mouth or through sexual contact. It can also spread through contaminated food and water.
People usually recover without treatment. However, some encounter severe cases with underlying conditions that weaken their immune system, and they need to be treated with antibiotics.
There are only a few antimicrobial treatments for those treating patients with the drug-resistant XDR strain of Shigella, which prompted the CDC to issue the warning.
The agency also asked healthcare professionals to be alert about suspecting reporting cases of the XDR variant of Shigella to local and state health departments as they are serious public health concerns.
Last year, 5% of Shigella infections were due to the XDR strain of the bacteria. In 2015, no infection from the antibiotic-resistant strain was reported, according to ABC News.
The increase in antimicrobial-resistant Shigella infections is primarily among men who have sex with men or people experiencing homelessness, international travelers, and people living with HIV, CDC added.
The agency urged the healthcare staff to educate patients and communities at risk of infection about prevention and how it spreads.
More About XDR Shigella
In the United States, shigellosis, an acute enteric infection, significantly contributes to domestically acquired and travel-associated bacterial diarrhea. Shigellosis often results in inflammatory diarrhea that
can be bloody and cause fever, abdominal cramps, and tenesmus. Infections are typically self-limiting; however, antibiotic therapy may be necessary to avoid complications or accelerate the length of the sickness [2]. Shigella XDR strains are defined by the CDC as being immune to all routinely used antibiotics - azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), and ampicillin. There is currently no information from clinical studies of XDR Shigella treatment that can help guide suggestions for the best antimicrobial treatment of these
infections. As a result, the CDC has no suggestions for the best antibiotic course of action for XDR.
How Serious Is Antimicrobial Resistance?
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest threats in healthcare. Experts predict it will kill more people than cancer by 2050, The Straight Times reported.
There are nearly 3 million antibiotic-resistant infections each year, and over 35,000 people die due to it, CDC reported.
A recent report by the United Nations stated that 5 million deaths worldwide were associated with AMR in 2019. The annual death toll associated with antimicrobial resistance is expected to increase to 10 million by 2050 if no steps are taken to stop it.
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