An Elizabethkingia infection detected in an infant being treated at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee is different from the more severe strain responsible for 60 confirmed cases of infection statewide, according to local ABC affiliate WISN12.
"The outbreak is caused by a very specific strain of Elizabethkingia anophelis and so then it is easy once you get the CDC involved to be able to tell if you've got sort of a boring Elizabethkingia anophelis or the outbreak strain...we have the boring strain," Peter Havens, MD, a pediatric infectious disease doctor at Children's Hospital, said at a Tuesday press conference, according to WISN12. Dr. Havens reported the child is doing well and is being effectively treated with antibiotics.
The source of the Wisconsin outbreak remains unknown. State health officials have recently come under scrutiny after a report surfaced that the Department of Health Services knew about the outbreak months before they notified the public. Confirmed cases of infection have been linked to 18 deaths in the state.
Learn more about Elizabethkingia here.
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