The CDC has not found the source of the bacterial blood infection that has been linked to deaths in three Midwestern states, according to a report from a local ABC affiliate.
Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, sent a letter to the CDC in March asking for details about the organization's investigation into the blood infection outbreak in Wisconsin, according to the Journal Sentinel. The ABC affiliate out of Green Bay, Wis., obtained the CDC's response.
The letter stated the organization has ruled out high-threat sources like commonly used medical equipment and municipal water systems as the catalyst of the outbreak. The CDC also said this is the first outbreak of Elizabethkingia anophelis it has investigated. Typically the organization sees no more than 10 cases per year of any type of the bacteria in each state. They rarely ever encounter more than two cases at once.
As of Thursday, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has confirmed 59 cases of the same strain Elizabethkingia in the state. There are another four cases that are suspected but cannot be confirmed as the same strain because specimens are no longer available for laboratory testing. In total, there have been 63 potentially related cases of Elizabethkingia in Wisconsin. The bacteria in these infections are very similar, which indicates a common source. The organization has not found evidence confirming person-to-person transmission.
Eighteen deaths have been reported in Wisconsin among the confirmed cases, with an additional death linked to a possible case for a total of 19 deaths linked to the outbreak in the state. Both Michigan and Illinois have confirmed related cases of the infection in one deceased resident respectively. Most of those infected are over the age of 65. It has not been determined whether the deaths were directly caused by the infection or other pre-existing comorbidities.
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