Cases of extensively drug-resistant shigella infections rose from 0% in 2011 to 8.5% in 2023, according to an April 9 CDC brief.
Shigellosis is a diarrheal illness caused by bacteria that is spread through fecal-oral transmission and sexual contact. Antibiotics are indicated for severe illness or to reduce high-risk for spread, though most cases are self-limited. Currently, there are no FDA-approved oral treatments available.
The CDC analyzed 16,788 isolated cases submitted to PulseNet between Jan. 1, 2011, and Oct. 20, 2023. Previous outbreaks of the drug-susceptible strains primarily affected children, but new data shows the drug-resistant cases mostly occurred in adults. The median age was 41 and 86.2% were men. Approximately one-third of patients were hospitalized.
All of this makes Shigella a public health threat, the brief said.
