The bacteria Elizabethkingia meningoseptica has been linked to 18 deaths and 44 cases of infection in Wisconsin over the past two months, and now the CDC has sent in a team of five “disease detectives.” Investigators still don’t know how people are contracting the bacteria, despite having tested a variety of sources, including water, health-care products, and environmental sources. Unfortunately, the bacteria is resistant to many antibiotics, and early detection is considered critical. Most of the state’s cases involve people over the age of 65.
