Bacterial infection is suspected to be the cause of 17 deaths in Wisconsin.
A rarely occurring blood infection that has been attributed with 17 deaths in Wisconsin has now been found across the state line in Michigan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the case after receiving results of a blood culture on an recently deceased patient that tested positive for the bacteria which causes the disease, the Elizabethkingia bacteria, according to UPI.
Elizabethkingia is commonly found in the environment, usually found in soil, river water and reservoirs, and takes its name from the CDC biologist who was the first to isolate the strain. It normally only causes sickness among the elderly and primarily in people that already had health conditions, or weakened immune systems.
Symptoms of the infection include fever and chills, shortness of breath and cellulitis, and the infection is difficult to treat since the bacteria are normally antibiotic resistant, according to the Michigan Health Department.
The Michigan patient was an older adult, living in western part of the state, and was know to have pre-existing medical conditions. Fifty-four cases have been recorded in neighboring Wisconsin, where the outbreak started last year, and the infection is suspected to be the cause of 54 deaths in that state, but the agency says the direct cause of the death of those patients is still unclear. Most of the patients with the infections were over 65 years of age.
Michigan’s Health Department is working closely with the CDC and the Wisconsin Health Department to alert the community about the outbreak in Wisconsin, and make its citizens aware of the symptoms to assist in making an early diagnosis, according to Dr. Eden Wells, Michigan’s health department’s chief medical executive.
Dr. Wells said, “Timely diagnosis is key to ensuring patients receive appropriate treatment, and we will continue to provide updates and guidance as additional information becomes available.”
Wisconsin officials, with the assistance of the Division of Public Health and the CDC, is taking samples from private homes and health care facilities to try to track down the source of the bacteria.