Mystery deadly contagion grips US state, infecting 48 in months


A MYSTERIOUS cluster of killer bacterial infections is sweeping a US state in an outbreak that has experts baffled.
It’s thought the rare bloodstream disease known as elizabethkingia anophelis has killed 18 and infected 48 people in Wisconsin since November.
Symptoms include fever, shortness of breath, chills and cellulitis (an infection of the skin and tissues under the skin, most commonly on the lower legs.)
The disease is resistant to some antibiotics, but no one is sure how it’s infecting so many people — or why it’s proving so deadly.
The Wisconsin department of health is investigating and has alerted healthcare providers, infection experts and laboratories statewide.
“At this time, the source of these infections is unknown and the department is working diligently to contain this outbreak,” it said in a statement.
Most of those killed by the disease are over 65, and all patients have a history of at least one serious illness.
Elizabethkingia anophelis was discovered in mosquitoes in 2011 and is associated with meningitis in infants and diseases originating in hospitals, although its transmission route is unclear.
The infection is not spread from person to person, but could potentially come from a food supply or medication system.
No one knows how elizabethkingia anophelis is transmitted. Picture: CDC Special Bacteriology Reference Lab

Sources: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/mystery-deadly-contagion-grips-state-infecting-48-in-months/news-story/29ecef931d11a88f16f884b9789d41a0

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