Article
America's New Superbug
Shigella sonnei is a strain of bacteria that causes severe diarrhea in about half a million people in the US each year. Most of the time, it's treated effectively with an antibiotic called Cipro. But that's changing, and it's bad news.
Meet America’s latest superbug: Shigella sonnei. It’s a strain of bacteria that causes severe diarrhea in about half a million people in the US each year. Most of the time, it's treated effectively with an antibiotic called Cipro. But that’s changing, and it’s bad news.
Since last May, health authorities have discovered 243 cases of a strain that resists treatment with Cipro. That includes big clusters in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and San Francisco, where an outbreak linked to the homeless population sickened 95 people between November and January. This strain is usually introduced by international travelers, but the CDC reports that "it is now circulating domestically.”
Read more at Bloomberg: http://bloom.bg/1CC1Gml
