CDC warns about bacterial infection rising among gay & bi men

Antibiotic-resistant shigellosis is on the rise among MSM populations. Here’s what you can do to avoid and treat it.

This is a medical illustration of drug-resistant, Shigella sp. bacteria
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a warning to healthcare providers about a rise in antibiotic-resistant shigellosis, a condition overrepresented among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) as well as people living with HIV.

The bacterial infection shigellosis (pr. shig-uh-LO-sis) affects the digestive tract and usually causes inflammatory diarrhea that can be bloody. The infection may also lead to fever, abdominal cramping, and tenesmus, a continual or recurrent urge to evacuate the bowels. Infections are generally self-limiting, which means that patients will usually recover without taking any form of medicine.

According to the CDC, Shigella bacteria are transmitted by the fecal-oral route, directly through person-to-person contact, including sexual contact, and indirectly through contaminated food, water, and other ingested materials. The bacteria are easily transmitted, even in low-infectious amounts. Outbreaks tend to occur among people in close-contact settings.

The agency says that in 2015, all cases of shigellosis reported in the U.S. responded well to antibiotic treatment. As of 2022, however, about…

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