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Officials seek cause of E. anophelis outbreak in Wisconsin
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State health officials and the CDC are investigating an outbreak of rare bloodstream infections in Wisconsin caused by Elizabethkingia anophelis bacteria.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services (WDHS), 44 patients in the southeastern and southern part of the state have been infected from Nov. 1 to March 2; 18 patients have died. The majority of the infected patients are aged older than 65 years and have serious underlying health conditions, the WDHS announced.
The causes of death among the affected patients have not been attributed to the infection or other serious health conditions, or both, according to the WDHS.
The state agency is working with the CDC to investigate the cause of the outbreak.
“We’ll work as long as it takes,” Tom Skinner, CDC spokesman, told Infectious Disease News. “And sometimes unfortunately you’re never able to pinpoint a source, so there’s no guarantees that we’ll be able to figure it out. But we’re certainly trying, and we’ll try for as long as it takes.”
Skinner said the CDC has five disease detectives in Wisconsin working with state officials to determine a possible source for the outbreak. Water and soil samples are being sent for testing, as are “various medical products,” according to Skinner. He said the CDC is not ready to name the products it is testing.
“Elizabethkingia anophelis bacteria has only been recognized as an illness in humans over the past several years,” Skinner said. “And the experience that we have with [it] has primarily been in health care settings, the few times that we’ve seen it as a cause of human illness. But this particular outbreak seems to have more of a community-acquired slant to it, which is new. It’s something that we’re investigating and trying to approach with a very open mind and cover as many bases as we can to try to get to the bottom of what’s causing this.”
The Elizabethkingia bacterium is named for Elizabeth O. King, a CDC bacteriologist who discovered it. E. anophelis is commonly found in the environment and thrives in warm, moist conditions, according to Skinner.
According to the WDPH, the agency set up statewide surveillance on Jan. 5 after being notified of the first six cases.
Signs and symptoms of infection by Elizabethkingia bacteria include fever, shortness of breath, chills and cellulitis, according to the WDPH. Those with compromised immune systems or serious underlying health conditions are at greater risk for illness. – by Gerard Gallagher
Disclosure: Skinner is a spokesman for the CDC.