Elizabethkingia anophelis growing on a blood agar plate. (credit: CDC's Special Bacteriology Reference Lab)
An elderly Michigan resident is the latest to die from a rare and unexplained bacterial outbreak that has sickened 54 people in Wisconsin, killing 17, heath officials confirmed Thursday.
The bacteria, Elizabethkingia anopheles, is commonly found in the environment but rarely infects humans. Historically, outbreaks of the bacteria haven’t reached more than around 10 people, making the outbreak in Wisconsin—and now Michigan—the largest ever recorded.
Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have teamed up with state and local authorities to try to track down the source of the bacteria, which is so far unknown. Since the beginning of last November, the outbreak has spread to at least 12 counties in two states.
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