The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionissued a warning about the rising threat of a drug-resistant bacteria.
Health officials say the bacteria is called Shigella and it can cause fever, abdominal cramping, and other serious stomach problems.
According to the CDC, the bacteria is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, person-to-person contact including sexual contact, and by consuming contaminated food, and water.
The bacteria typically affect young children, but the CDC says antimicrobial-resistant infections in adults are on the rise, and adults most at risk are gay or bisexual, men who have sex with men, people experiencing homelessness, international travelers, and people living with HIV.
The CDC also says there are limited treatments available for these particular drug-resistant strains, and most patients should recover from shigellosis without antimicrobial treatment, and oral rehydration could be sufficient to manage it.
