{
  "id": 13207244,
  "title": "A Diarrhea-Causing Bacterium Spread Through Sex is Resisting Five Common Antibiotics",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/a-diarrhea-causing-bacterium-spread-through-sex-is-resisting-five",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-09T20:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discover Magazine",
    "slug": "discover-magazine",
    "url": "https://www.discovermagazine.com/a-diarrhea-causing-bacterium-spread-through-sex-is-resisting-five-common-antibiotics-49792"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Shigella, a bacterium responsible for causing diarrhea, fever, and cramps, is increasingly spreading through sexual contact, according to recent findings. This bacterium can infiltrate the body via fecal matter reaching the mouth during sex, either directly or through contaminated hands. Other transmission routes include contaminated food or water, unwashed hands, or contact with infected individuals.\n\nTypically, most people recover without antibiotics, but for those who require treatment, options are dwindling. A CDC report from April 2026 revealed that 8.5 percent of U.S. Shigella samples analyzed in 2023 had developed resistance to five common antibiotics, a stark contrast to none in samples from 2011 to 2015. In July, a study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases uncovered evidence that strains linked to sexual transmission are evolving rapidly and forming more extensive chains of infections than other homegrown strains.\n\nSenior author Kate Baker from the study emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, \"This is multiple overlapping variants emerging that are all quickly becoming resistant to the drugs we use to treat them. It’s highly likely that if you contracted your Shigella through sex, you require different treatment to someone who contracted it through travel.\"\n\nThe issue of drug-resistant Shigella is on the rise in the U.S., as indicated by nearly 17,000 samples collected between 2011 and October 2023. Out of these, 510 met the CDC’s criteria for \"extensively drug-resistant.\" The majority of patients with recorded age and sex were adult men, and nearly 4 in 10 required hospitalization. However, no deaths were reported. The data, though, often lacks information on sexual contact, making it difficult for researchers to determine the extent of Shigella spread through sexual contact in the U.S. Additionally, changes in testing may also contribute to the rise in resistant samples.\n\nResearchers from Cambridge analyzed over 3,500 Shigella sonnei samples collected in the U.K. between 2004 and 2020. They were unable to confirm the mode of infection for each case, so they treated individuals aged 16 to 60 with no recent travel to specific high-risk regions as likely to have contracted the infection sexually. The study found that infections in this group were spreading over greater distances and passing between people more intensely than other infections acquired within the U.K. Notably, Shigella resistance was linked to treatment for gonorrhea. When U.K. guidelines shifted away from recommending the antibiotic azithromycin for gonorrhea, Shigella strains resistant to this drug lost some of their ability to spread.\n\nThe authors suggest this phenomenon, known as \"bystander resistance,\" as evidence that treating one infection can inadvertently help another survive and spread. In someone carrying both Shigella and gonorrhea, an antibiotic prescribed for the latter can provide a more favorable environment for resistant Shigella bacteria to thrive and spread, while susceptible bacteria are eliminated.\n\nTo reduce the risk of Shigella infection, the CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water after using the bathroom and before eating, as Shigella is contracted when the bacteria are swallowed. It is crucial to wait at least two weeks after diarrhea subsides before engaging in sexual activity and avoiding food preparation while sick. If severe diarrhea or persistent symptoms occur, it is essential to inform healthcare providers about recent sexual contact to facilitate appropriate testing and antibiotic selection. The U.K. Health Security Agency also advises getting checked for other sexually transmitted infections if diagnosed with Shigella. This article serves informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice.",
  "summary": "Learn how Shigella spreads between sexual partners and why growing antibiotic resistance is leaving fewer treatment options.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}