Mysterious Elizabethkingia bacteria claims 20 lives in multistate outbreak
- 8 years ago
CHICAGO — A mysterious bacteria known as Elizabethkingia has killed 20 people in the Midwest in the United States.
The Elizabethkingia bacteria, named after microbiologist Elizabeth King who discovered it in 1959, can be found in soil, river and reservoirs worldwide.
Elizabethkingia infections first appeared in Wisconsin last fall. Since then, it has spread to Michigan and Illinois. Mystery surrounds the outbreak as the bacteria rarely makes people sick and it is not transmitted person-to-person.
"How it is transmitted? How is it spread? What sort of diseases does it cause and how can we manage it? Those are very intense areas of investigation right now," Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health told CBS News.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the bacteria can cause meningitis in newborn babies and meningitis or bloodstream and respiratory infections in people, typically older, with compromised immune systems.
Symptoms of infection may include fever, chills, headache and neck pain, as well as skin infections.
There have been 61 confirmed cases in total in Wisconsin, Michigan and illinois in which 18 people were confirmed dead in Wisconsin, one in Michigan and one in illinois as of April 13.
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The Elizabethkingia bacteria, named after microbiologist Elizabeth King who discovered it in 1959, can be found in soil, river and reservoirs worldwide.
Elizabethkingia infections first appeared in Wisconsin last fall. Since then, it has spread to Michigan and Illinois. Mystery surrounds the outbreak as the bacteria rarely makes people sick and it is not transmitted person-to-person.
"How it is transmitted? How is it spread? What sort of diseases does it cause and how can we manage it? Those are very intense areas of investigation right now," Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health told CBS News.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the bacteria can cause meningitis in newborn babies and meningitis or bloodstream and respiratory infections in people, typically older, with compromised immune systems.
Symptoms of infection may include fever, chills, headache and neck pain, as well as skin infections.
There have been 61 confirmed cases in total in Wisconsin, Michigan and illinois in which 18 people were confirmed dead in Wisconsin, one in Michigan and one in illinois as of April 13.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f
Get top stories delivered to your inbox everyday: http://bit.ly/tomo-newsletter
Stay connected with us here:
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Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
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Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus