Drug-resistant strain of diarrhea-inducing Shigella infection on the rise in the US, CDC says

WASHINGTON — A drug-resistant bacterial infection that causes diarrhea is on the rise in the United States, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The strain of Shigella is so resistant to treatment that it’s known as XDR Shigella — short for extensively drug-resistant Shigella or Shigellosis. As of 2023, XDR made up 8.5% of cases in the United States. Between 2011 and 2015, it made up 0% of Shigella cases. There are about 450,000 Shigella infections per year, meaning there could be more than 36,000 Americans suffering from the XDR variety each year.  

Unlike its non-drug-resistant counterpart, the XDR form of Shigella infection is most likely to occur in adult men. Historically, Shigella was most likely to plague children under five years old. The median age of XDR victims is 41 years old, according to the CDC. The infection typically spreads through fecal-oral transmission, sexual contact and by consuming contaminated food. 

Although not fully explored in the recent study, sexual contact among men who have sex with men has been considered an “important Shigella transmission route” by the CDC. At times, a Shigella co-infection with other bacterial sexually transmitted infections has been reported. The XDR Shigella also raises concerns for people with HIV, who already have limited treatment options, and “risk for severe illness is higher.” 

With diarrhea as its main symptom, XDR Shigella poses challenges for both its victims and for medical professionals, as more than one-third of patients who were diagnosed with the drug-resistant strain ended up in the hospital. 

Scientists who conducted the CDC study recommended prevention and early detection as some of the best ways to fight XDR Shigella.