'Here And Now': Tracing The Wisconsin Elizabethkingia Outbreak | Wisconsin Public Radio

CDC epidemicologis Michael Bell: "This is probably the largest [ Elizabethkingia  outbreak] we've seen."

Wisconsin Public Television

Federal, State Officials Work To Pinpoint Source Of Rare Disease

Monday, March 14, 2016, 10:55am

By Scott Gordon

A Crash Course In Elizabethkingia, The Rare Bacterial Infection Spreading Across Wisconsin

Elizabethkingia continues to challenge epidemiologists as itafflicts people scattered throughout southern and eastern Wisconsin. It's a type of gram-negative bacteria found commonly in the environment, but only rarely causes disease in humans. When an Elizabethkingia infection does strike, it’s dangerous because it tends to affect people with weakened immune systems. Moreover, these bacteria are often resistant to antibiotics. Since November 2015, the species, Elizabethkingia anophelis, has caused blood infections in 48 people in Wisconsin, 15 of whom have died.

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Taxonomy

• Water
• Public Health