A dangerous bacteria that causes diarrhea is spreading in Los Angeles

A diarrhea-causing superbug is causing problems in Los Angeles. Researchers have tracked down a worrying new strain of… Shigella Bacteria in the area, which can resist almost every antibiotic thrown at it.

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, conducted the study that looked at an unusual group of Shigella Cases were detected between 2023 and 2024. Each case turned out to be a highly drug-resistant strain of bacteria. Although all the victims have recovered, researchers say their discovery is “alarming,” especially since it is possible that superbugs are still actively spreading in Los Angeles and perhaps elsewhere.

Shigella It is a routine source of diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. While most cases cause nothing more than a week-long bout of misery that goes away on its own, the infection rarely causes serious or even fatal complications, especially in people with weakened or underdeveloped immune systems, such as very young children. Shigella It kills about 200,000 people worldwide every year; In the United States, it is belief Infecting around half a million people each year, with thousands hospitalized as a result. The germ is usually spread through contaminated food or drink, but it can also be transmitted through sexual contact. This latter form of transmission tends to occur more frequently through anal intercourse between men who have sex with men.

Antibiotics are used to treat severe cases Shigella Infection or keeping infections under control in people at high risk of developing the disease. But as with many other bacteria, Shigella Bacteria have increasingly learned how to resist the most common antibiotics used against them. The strains of most concern are extensively drug-resistant, meaning they are able to overcome a wide range of antibiotics. In their paper, published This month in Infection control journalUCLA scientists detailed the discovery of a new XDR strain of Shigella sonnei in three of their patients.

According to the report, the three cases were discovered during a three-month period between 2023 and 2024. The three cases included men with a history of having sex with other men, with one patient reporting that a sexual partner had recently been violated. He was diagnosed with Shigella A week ago. Initial laboratory tests revealed that they carried the XDR strain, which is officially defined as resistant to the antibiotics azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and ampicillin.

ULCA scientists conducted a genetic analysis of samples collected from their patients. They found that all three patients carried a similar strain, although it was markedly different from previous XDR strains identified in other parts of the world. Researchers say this likely means that this version has been evolving and spreading in the region for some time.

“Discovering the XDR novel S. Sony The active spread in Los Angeles is concerning, they wrote.

Fortunately, the conditions themselves were still treatable or resolved on their own. One person developed a severe infection and ended up in intensive care as a result. But the real-time detection of XDR resistance in this case prompted doctors to switch to a different recommended drug that seemed to work, and the patient eventually made a full recovery.

However, the advent of XDR Shigella In the United States and around the world it is a serious and growing public health concern. It is clear that treating these cases is more difficult than treating typical cases Shigella Infection, and the delay in finding the right drug that works against the XDR strain can be fatal. Last year, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Issued Public health consultant on superbugs. In the advisory, the CDC reported that about 5% of Shigella Cases reported to the agency in 2022 were caused by XDR strains, up from 0% in 2015. Given these recent cases, the problem has likely worsened since then. University of California scientists say more efforts must be made to identify and limit the spread of this dangerous bacteria.

“These cases highlight the rapid expansion of XDR Shigella In the United States, there is an urgent need for detection and appropriate management, they wrote.