History
As of March 2016, it was reported to be the largest outbreak of Elizabethkingia anophelis -caused disease investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [8]
Human infections by E. anophelis involve the bloodstream. [3] Signs and symptoms can include fever, shortness of breath, chills, and cellulitis. [3] Confirmation requires a laboratory test. [3]
Statewide surveillance of the situation in Wisconsin was organized on January 5, 2016. [9] Cases had been reported from Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Jefferson, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sauk, Sheboygan, Washington, Waukesha, and Winnebago Counties); Illinois; and western Michigan as of April 13, 2016. [9] [1]
Between November 1, 2015 and March 30, 2016, 62 cases of E. anophelis infections were reported to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health. [3]
The severity of the outbreak is reflected in a statement by the CDC that "the agency sees a handful of Elizabethkingia infections around the country each year, but the outbreaks rarely involve more than a couple of cases at a time. To have dozens of cases at once — and more than a third of them possibly fatal — is startling". [10]
In 2017, genomics researchers determined that "a disrupted DNA repair mutY gene [...] probably contributed to the high evolutionary rate of the outbreak strain and may have increased its adaptability," but the source was not identified. [5]
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