MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Health experts in the Mid-South are warning about a growing threat from a drug-resistant strain of Shigella, a highly contagious bacteria that causes gastrointestinal illness and, in some cases, can be difficult to treat.
Doctors said Shigella has long been a known cause of diarrhea and stomach infections, but a newer form known as extensively drug-resistant, or XDR Shigella, is becoming more common and harder to manage.
“Shigella is a bacteria that causes gastroenteritis,” said Dr. Sandy Arnold, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. “It is much less common than other stomach bugs, but it is the most contagious.”…