Increase in resistant Shigella infections among men who have sex with men - News-Medical.Net

Shigellosis, which arises due to Shigella species transmission through the fecal-oral route, was initially identified among individuals with recent travel history to England.

In September of 2021, the emergence of the extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Shigella sonnei that consists of the plasmid-encoded extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing -producing (ESBL) bla CTX-M-27 gene was reported.

Specimens obtained between September 1, 2015, and 1June 23, 2022, containing S higella flexneri encoding the bla CTX-M-27 gene, as well as those verified by phylogenetic analysis as belonging to any of the t10 clusters with approximately 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), were identified as cases.

Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted and subsequently subjected to long-read Nanopore sequencing to determine the genetic location of the bla CTX-M-27 gene.

All 26 Shigella flexneri serotype 2a cases were identified in adult males with a median age of 37 years and no prior travel to endemic nations.

The study findings highlight the sustained increase in XDR and multidrug-resistant Shigella flexneri serotype 2a infections due to pathogens harboring the plasmid-encoded bla CTX-M-27 gene among MSM individuals in England from September 2021 onward.