A once manageable infection is surging in the U.S., as the CDC warns that new strains are becoming resistant to antibiotics
Experts are warning that Shigella bacteria can be transmitted from sex (Image: Getty)
The diarrhea-causing bacteria known as Shigella is on the rise, and scientists now believe they're spreading so rapidly through sexual contact.
The nasty illness is said to infect nearly half a million people in the U.S. each year, resulting in diarrhea with blood or mucus, as well as symptoms such as stomach pains, a fever, and vomiting.
Shigella can even become life-threatening because it dehydrates and depletes the body of fluids, including blood, with the potential to cause bacterial and septic shock. These illness-causing bacteria can be contracted from infected feces that enter the mouth due to poor handwashing, or by swallowing food or water contaminated with them.
Most people at risk of infection are children under 5, those in places where sanitation standards are lower, and those who are homeless. However, there is also evidence that gay and bisexual men are experiencing a rapid rise in the infection. According to experts, Shigella is regularly present within these communities.
While many don’t realize that Shigella can be spread through sex, that’s part of what’s fuelling the rise in infections, according to experts.
As per the New York Post, Cambridge geneticist Kate Baker explains, “Many men who have sex with men are unaware of the serious and increasing risk posed by sexually transmitted Shigella.”
Baker was a lead author in a study released in July that revealed that the spread of the disease through sex grew 15% faster year-over-year between 2015 and 2020 when compared to the spread through travel, food, or daycare OR preschool outbreaks.
Sex could even be the mode of transmission now, evidence suggests, but it’s hard to determine when patients aren’t asked questions about it. Meanwhile, the CDC has reported that drug-resistant strains of Shigella rose from 0% in 2011 to 8.5% in 2023.
Those most at risk include gay and bisexual men (Image: Getty)
“This disease has gone from being relatively treatable with off-the-shelf drugs to being close to untreatable over the course of the last decade or so,” said Baker.
She explained to Science Alert, “This isn’t just one form of sexually transmissible diarrhea. Multiple overlapping variants are emerging and quickly becoming resistant to the drugs we use to treat them. It’s highly likely that if you contracted your Shigella through sex, you require different treatment from someone who contracted it through travel.”
The best ways to prevent yourself from catching the disease are to maintain good hygiene and wash your hands. It is also important to wash the genitals and anus with soap and water before and after sexual activity, which applies to everyone engaging in all types of sexual activity.
As new strains of bacteria become more resistant to antibiotics, the CDC wants people to focus on prevention strategies to stop the spread of infection.