Shigella Blog

Baltimore Bio Tech Company Gets Army Contract To Fight Shigella

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:27:35 -0800

Intralytix Inc. announced last week that it has been awarded a contract from the United States Army to develop a bacteriophage-based food safety product for reducing or eliminating contamination from pathogenic Salmonella and Shigella spp.

The product would be used to eliminate or significantly reduce contamination of fruits, vegetables and other food products.

Intralytix Inc is a Baltimore-based biotechnology company focused on improving human health through the development and commercialization of innovative products for food safety and human therapeutics using its core bacteriophage (or phage) technology platform.

“We are very pleased with the award because it helps to enrich Intralytix’s portfolio of phage-based, food safety products, and it demonstrates the confidence that the U.S. Army has in Intralytix’s leadership in developing bacteriophage-based preparations for food safety applications for military and civilian populations,” stated Dr. Alexander Sulakvelidze, Intralytix’s Vice-President for Research and Development and Chief Scientist.

For more see the company’s press release.

American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Honors Pioneering Shigella Researcher, Dr. Philippe Sansonetti

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:35:43 -0800

The 2009 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) GlaxoSmithKline International ASM Member of the Year Award has been presented to pioneer Shigella researcher Philippe Sansonetti, M.D., director, Unité de Pathogénie Microbienne Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur, Paris.

This award recognizes a distinguished microbiologist who has exhibited exemplary leadership in the international microbiological community. It was presented during the recent 109th General Meeting of the ASM in Philadelphia.

Known as one of the founders of the field of cellular microbiology, Dr. Sansonetti received his M.D. from the University of Paris and did his postdoctoral work in the Department of Enteric Diseases at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C. This is where he began his work on Shigella pathogenesis, an area of science that has been dominated by Dr. Sansonetti and his lab for the past 20 years.

Dr. Sansonetti established his lab at the Institut Pasteur where he created the Unité de Pathogénie Microbienne Moléculaire. He has supervised 30 postdoctoral fellows and mentored 20 Ph.D. students. His teaching has been recognized with visiting professorships at Harvard Medical School, Rockefeller University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Texas, and Washington University.

In 2008, Sansonetti was named professor and chair of microbiology and infectious diseases at the Collège de France, which was founded in 1530 to "teach science in the making" to the general public. In 1998, he co-founded the journal, Cellular Microbiology, to address a growing new multidisciplinary field of research and continues to serve as the editor of this international, high impact journal.

Dr. Sansonetti's laboratory is credited with some of the most important contributions to our understanding of intracellular pathogens and seminal discoveries that established the importance of cytoplasmic sensing in surveillance of intracellular pathogens. This work has led to key outcomes resulting in the understanding of how innate immune responses are regulated in response to intracellular pathogens.

ASM claims to be the world's oldest and largest life science organization with more than 43,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.

Cleveland Is Also Trying To Defeat Shigella, Especially At Its Day Care Centers

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:26:14 -0800

Over the weekend, the Cleveland Plain Dealer did a wrap-up on the ongoing Shigella outbreak in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

The newspaper reported that: “Infections from the shigella bacteria began soaring in 2007 and show no signs of slowing down. Cuyahoga County reported 218 cases last year, after averaging about 30 cases a year the prior five years. The county is on pace to top last year's numbers, while the Cleveland Department of Public Health this year has responded to five outbreaks at day-care centers through April.

"We've never seen these kind of numbers, at least not in the last six or seven years," said Cleveland Health Director Matt Carroll. "I don't think we have a lot of understanding as to why we're seeing it."

Much of the outbreak is focused on day care centers in the Greater Cleveland area. "It can go right through a day care because it doesn't take much to get infected," said Dr. Blaise Congeni, director of pediatric infectious diseases at Akron Children's Hospital.

For more from the Plain Dealer, go here.

Local Health Officials In KS, MO, GA, and TX Issue Warnings About Shigella

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Tue, 26 May 2009 08:36:46 -0800

Communities combating shigella since last fall are counting on the end of the school year to break the back of the far-flung outbreaks.

In Macon County, GA, the local health department continues to encourage people to wash their hands and to stay away from home or school if they come down with diarrhea. There were 31 cases of shigella in Macon County in April and 23 so far in May.

Up north in Sedgwick County, KS there have been 52 confirmed cases of Shigella this year, compared to only 20 cases in all of 2008. Kansas’s health officials are stepping up their warnings to parents.

In nearby Missouri, nearly a dozen people have come down with Shigella this month, causing the Springfield-Greene County Health Department to issue a warning.

And down in the Texas panhandle, Lubbock is looking for the end of its eight-month Shigella outbreak. The infection rate for the diarrheal illness peaked last fall with 308 reported cases in November, according to department records. Anything more than eight cases per month is considered an outbreak, Lubbock Public Health Coordinator Beckie Brawley said.

The Shigella bacteria causes diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and cramps. You'll catch it a day or two after exposure. Symptoms can last as long as a week.

Local health officials say the bacteria is often passed through fecal matter. They urge people to wash their hands frequently. Parents should also make sure their children clean up after using the bathroom.

Transmission of Shigella can also occur from eating contaminated food which may look and smell normal. Food can become contaminated by infected food handlers who practice inadequate hand washing. Vegetables can be contaminated if they are harvested from a field with sewage in it.

You can also get Shigella drinking or swimming in contaminated water. Water may become contaminated if sewage runs into it, or if someone with shigella swims in it.

Other ways to help prevent infection of Shigella includes:

Frequently and carefully wash your hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds.
Always wash your hands before preparing, serving or eating food.
Be sure to wash your hands after using the restroom.
Always wash your hands after changing soiled diapers.
People who have shigella should not prepare food or pour water for others. If you are a food handler and experience these symptoms, do not go to work.
Wash fruits and vegetables before eating.

There's A "Shigella Scare" In Springfield & Green County, Missouri; But Few Facts About It

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:42:10 -0800

Missouri's Springfield-Greene County Health Department put this statement on their website yesterday:

Hand washing protects you from a number of different illnesses, including colds, viruses and diarrheal illnesses like shigellosis. Greene County has seen an increase in shigellosis cases in the past month. Shigellosis is caused by the Shigella bacteria and is spread easily from person-to-person by dirty hands. The best way to stop this cycle and slow the spread of shigellosis in our community is for each of us to wash our hands frequently -- after using the bathroom, after changing a diaper and before eating or drinking.

Without saying, or apparently anybody asking, how many cases, the Health Department managed to get good coverage of its warning. See this KY3 News story, for example. Under a "Shigella Scare" headline, the warning was enough to get Greene County Health Department Director Kendra Williams on camera without giving up much in the way of facts.

From the comments on the KY3 website, however, it appears that Greene County may have a shigella problem in its dare care facilities. Any reporter there want to take this a bit further please?

World Health Organization Calls Shigella "Endemic Throughout The World"

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:08:48 -0800

The World Health Organization says Shigellosis is endemic throughout the world.

Worldwide there are approximately 164.7 million cases, of which 163.2 million in developing countries and 1.5 million in industrialized countries.

Each year 1.1 million people are estimated to die from Shigella infection and 580, 000 cases of shigellosis are reported among travellers from industrialized countries.

A total of 69 percent of all episodes and 61 percent of all deaths attributable to shigellosis involve children less than 5 years of age.

See what else WHO has on Shigella here.

Shigella Has Moved Into Macon County, IL And Isn't Leaving Very Fast

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:53:26 -0800

Decatur, IL and surrounding Macon County appears to be another hotspot for Shigella. Macon County Health officials are reporting 68 cases of Shigella since last November, with 19 cases through the first half of April.

In his blog, Paul Osborne, editor of the Decatur Tribune, reports that statewide there are about 1,300 cases of Shigella each year, but he adds this important note:

Because some mild cases go unreported, it is expected that at least 20 times more people are actually infected with the bacterium. Laboratory tests can be done to diagnose Shigella and in some cases, antibiotics can be used to treat the condition.

For Editor Osborne's complete discussion about Shigella in his community, go here.

We agree with his conclusion: "This is certainly something we don't want spreading in our community."

Lubbock 2008 Shigella Outbreak Is Not Really Over Even Yet

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:00:22 -0800

Believe it or not, a bunch of us passed through Lubbock, Texas yesterday on the way to its neighbor to the north, the town of Plainview, Texas. An item in the local newspaper caught our attention.

It seems that the great Buddy Holly's hometown is still working its way out of a September 2008 outbreak of Shigella. With almost one-third of the year gone, Lubbock has experienced 148 confirmed cases of shigella so far in 2009. That may indicate some improvement over 2008 when a total of 714 cases were reported.

The City of Lubbock's Health Department says it continues to investigate and monitor shigella in the community. "So far this year we've seen 174 cases of enteric diseases in Lubbock," Beckie Brawley, Lubbock Health Department public health coordinator said. "Enteric diseases can be caused by a number of factors like contaminated water, contaminated food or coming into contact with infected animals and usually causes diarrhea or vomiting."

For more on how the battle against Shigella is going in Lubbock, check this out.

Shigella So Common It Makes Top Three Among Food-borne Illnesses

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:34:18 -0800

Shigella was the third most common food-borne illness in the United States during 2008, according to the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) of CDC's Emerging Infections Program, which collects data from 10 U.S. states.

The number of infections and incidence per 100,000 population were reported as follows:

Salmonella (7,444; 16.20),
Campylobacter (5,825; 12.68),
Shigella (3,029; 6.59),
Cryptosporidium (1,036; 2.25),
STEC O157 (513; 1.12),
STEC non-O157 (205; 0.45),
Yersinia (164; 0.36),
Listeria (135; 0.29),
Vibrio (131; 0.29),
and Cyclospora (17; 0.04).

See the chart below for details. Go here for details on the study.

Shigella Outbreak Grows At UpState New York Applebee's

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Lawyer) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:57:35 -0800

Here's an update on the Shigella outbreak involving the Applebee's restaurant in Camillus, NY near Syracuse:

Bar lemons and limes used in both food and drinks are getting most of the focus of the investigation by health officials.

After the Onondaga County Health Department confirmed seven cases of Shigellosis from Applebee customers who dined there in early March, they warned the public and asked others to come forward if they got sick.

More than 100 people responded, reporting illness. Health officials have sent another 52 off for tests. Results are expected in a few days.

Shigellosis is a bacterial infection associated with consuming water or food contaminated with fecal matter. The source of the bacteria in the Applebee's citrus has not been identified.

Shigella Confirmed in Seven Applebee Customers In Upstate New York

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:55:45 -0800

Seven confirmed cases of Shigella have caused the Onondaga County Health Department in Syracuse, NY to warn up to 9,000 Applebee customers that they too might have been exposed to the bacteria. The restaurant involved is located in Camillus, NY, about 11 miles east of Syracuse. WSYR-TV reports that:

County Health Commissioner Dr. Cynthia Morrow says all seven people had contracted Shigellosis. The Shigella bacteria, Morrow says, is associated with consuming water or food contaminated with fecal matter.

Those who are confirmed ill ate at the restaurant on either Saturday, March 7th or Sunday, March 8th, but the overall window that the Health Department is looking at is between Sunday, March 1st and Friday, March 20th.

The station said the health department waited until Tuesday to announce the illnesses because it had sent stool samples to the lab, and had just gotten the results back. The Applebee's remains open. Employees are being tested.

For more on the outbreak, go here.

In Ohio, Columbus Public Health In Second Year Of Combat With Shigella

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:08:15 -0800

After seeing the number of Shigella cases drop to just nine cases in 2005, ten in 2006, and eight in 2007, an outbreak last year got out of control in Columbus, Ohio.

It turned into 524 confirmed cases in 2008. Now, Columbus Public Health officials say the Shigella outbreak is not over. There's been another 91 through March 5, 2009.

Writing in The Columbus Dispatch, Misti Crane reports:

A shigellosis outbreak that began sickening hundreds of people in Franklin County last summer is still spreading, and city health officials have bumped up efforts to stop it. Cases related to the outbreak have now topped 600. Already this year, 91 cases have been reported.

Shigellosis is an infection caused by a group of bacteria called shigella that cause often-bloody diarrhea that can last about a week. Antibiotics sometimes are prescribed.

Because it's easily transmitted through feces, the main way to cease its spread is through vigilant hand washing.

See more from the Dispatch here.

A Sign Of Fighting Shigella In Philadelphia

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:57:16 -0800

Muskegon County, Michigan Making Progress Against Shigella

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:45:00 -0800

We last reported on the campaign Muskegon County, MI undertook in mid-December here to combat the rising incidents of Shigella it was experiencing. Now comes reports that progress is being made.

According to the Muskegon News:

An outbreak of shigella in Muskegon County appears to be waning, according to health officials.

Shigella is an intestinal ailment that can last from four days to several weeks but can be treated with antibiotics. The local outbreak began in October, and 93 cases have been confirmed since then, according to data compiled by the Muskegon County Health Department.

The number of new cases dropped from 48 in December to 11 this month, said Ken Kraus, director of the county health department.

"We're hopeful that it's starting to slow down," Kraus said. "It's hard to tell if we're out of the woods yet."

For more, check this out.

Children Are Coming Down With Shigella In Alamosa, CO

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Lawyer) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:00:38 -0800

Shigellosis usually does not originate from a water source, but when you are Alamosa, Colorado, you might just want to check to be sure. That's because last year, the water in the San Luis Valley town gave Salmonella poisoning to 400 people. Our last update on that can be found here.

Now, however, it's several culture confirmed cases of shigellosis among children in Alamosa County that has local Nursing Service Director Julie Geiser worried. According to the Valley Courier:

Geiser said that Alamosa County Public Health has been working closely with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to address this outbreak. Outbreak control has focused on child care centers and preschools. “All childcare and preschool staff have been very cooperative in the attempt to control the spread of this bacteria,” she said.

While it is an inconvenience for working parents, sometimes it is necessary to keep children at home until a negative culture has been obtained, or the child has been treated, Geiser advised. Public Health is giving each affected center direction for handling the situation.

For more, go here.

Our 250th To You! Iowa Gives Some New Year's Advice

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:52:42 -0800

First, this is the 250th posting on the Shigella Blog since it was founded on March 10, 2005. We've tried to provide useful news, comment and analysis on this nasty bug. We are pleased with the comments and trust you will continue to give us feedback as we go forward.

Let us continue. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has its thinking hat on by coming up with a list of diseases that the whole state should try and avoid in 2009. Shigella and Norovirus made the list. IDPH says:

Norovirus causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and cramps. Outbreaks have been associated with food and water, but most norovirus infections are spread from person to person, especially among family members. Shigellosis results in severe diarrhea which can be bloody and fever. Shigella is easily spread from person to person. To prevent both norovirus and shigella:

Anyone who is ill with diarrhea, vomiting or fever should stay home and not work with food, the elderly, in health care or child care.
Good hand washing must be done every time people use the toilet, change a diaper, or before they eat or prepare any food.
Infants and children must also have their hands washed after diapers have been changed or after using the toilet, and before eating.

For more from IDPH on what to avoid in this New Year, go here.

Ohio Marks Increases in Number of Shigella Cases

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Lawyer) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:47:53 -0800

We've noticed that Ohio has really come in for massive increases in the number of Shigella cases it is experiencing. The latest figures from just two counties illustrate the point.

WHIO-TV in Dayton reports this:

We have new information about a bacterial disease that is making hundreds of people sick here in the Miami Valley.

The number of Shigellosis cases in our area is on the rise.

Montgomery County health officials say they have 323 documented cases.

Meanwhile, Greene County health officials are reporting 43 cases, up from 35 Tuesday.

The symptoms include diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, naseau and vomiting.

Experts say the best defense is hand-washing.

Muskegon County, Michigan Flights Shigella Outbreak With Hand Washing Campaign

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Lawyer) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:09:25 -0800

When we last left Muskegon County, Michigan's emerging Shigella outbreak here in early November, there were eight confirmed cases. As of last week, the number of confirmed cases stood at 47 on Thursday; most of the victims are under 10 years of age. Health officials confirmed 28 new cases in November and 13 during the first 10 days of December.

Now county health officials have enlisted volunteers from the American Red Cross, Access Health and Volunteer Muskegon are helping local health officials demonstrate proper hand washing at elementary schools across the county.

Hand washing is crucial because shigella spreads from person to person when hands, objects or food become contaminated with small amounts of fecal matter from those who are infected. The bacteria then spreads from hand to mouth and via food and drinks.

Health officials recommend that everyone wash their hands thoroughly with soap after going to the bathroom and before eating or preparing food. Children should dry their hands with paper towels to avoid spreading germs.

We add our assistance here with the chart above to illustrate proper hand washing. Go here for more about the campaign in Muskegon County.

Shigella Outbreak Hits Cash-Strapped Western Michigan

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Attorney) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:23:21 -0800

Three West Michigan counties are experiencing a Shigella outbreak, the Muskegon Chronicle reports.

Eight cases of shigella have been confirmed in Muskegon County, said county health department director Ken Kraus. He said Kent and Ottawa counties also have confirmed several cases of shigella.

Kraus said shigella was likely being spread in Muskegon County for a month before lab results confirmed the first case.

He said budget cuts in recent years forced the county to reassign four nurses who monitored communicable diseases, including shigella.

Muskegon County now has just one nurse to track communicable diseases. Due to limited funding, that nurse can only track disease outbreaks over the phone -- instead of visiting schools and other places where large numbers of people congregate, Kraus said.

Two of the three counties (50 and 56 on the map) border on Lake Michigan, and the other is immediately adjacent to the other two (57).

Go here for more.

Shigella Strikes Sydney Gay Community-Health Officials Call For Precautions Now

marler@marlerclark.com (Shigella Lawyer) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:50:20 -0800

Up to 200 people in Sydney, mostly gay men, are infected with an antibiotic-resistant gut infection, according health officials in Australia. It has been identified as an outbreak of shigella by health clinics in the largely gay Darlinghurst area.

According to the Sydney Star Observer, CEO Stevie Clayton of the gay advocacy group ACON said the faeces-transmitted bacteria was very infectious so gay men should start taking some extra precautions now to limit the spread and duration of the outbreak.

“It’s going to be either basic hygiene — washing your hands after going to the toilet — or it’s going to be sexual transmission or it’s food handling,” she told Sydney Star Observer.

“It’s passed on very quickly and easily. Because symptoms appear between 12 hours and four days, it’s often hard to tell where someone got it from, and friends who’ve done the same activities could get infected at a different rate.”

For more on where they are finding shigella down under, go here.