Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles identified three cases of shigella in the city, a bacterial infection that causes explosive and bloody diarrhea, as well as severe stomach pain

Biofilm of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Rod-shaped and spherical bacteria. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Klebsiella, Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA. 3D illustration

A new sexually transmitted disease that is resistant to drugs is spreading across Los Angeles, doctors warn.

Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles identified three cases of shigella in the city, a bacterial infection that causes explosive and bloody diarrhea, as well as severe stomach pain, DailyMail.com reported.

Three local men have been been infected with the XDR Shigella sonnei strain of the disease, which is resistant to five common antibiotics. The trip were infected within a three-month window between 2023 and 2024 and are believed to have caught the disease through sexual intercourse.

Shigella bacteria, computer illustration. Shigella sp. are Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria (bacilli) and are the causative agent of human shigellosis. They infect the large intestine and cause dysentery, which can vary in severity from a mild attack of diarrhoea to an acute infection
The CDC estimates there are 450,000 reported cases of shigella in the US every year, and over half are resistant to common antibiotics like ciprofloxacin (Cipro) ( 
Image:
Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)
Researchers from UCLA said the men contracted a distinct strain of shigella, which suggests it had been spreading in the Los Angeles area for some time, and they warned of the possibility of an outbreak that could spread to other areas. Similar outbreaks have been seen in major cities like San Jose and Portland among gay men and homeless populations.

“The discovery of a novel XDR S. sonnei actively spreading in Los Angeles is alarming,” researchers wrote. “While most people recover from Shigella infections without antibiotics, patients who require treatment and who fail to respond to usual antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and azithromycin may need alternate treatment regimens.”

“These cases highlight the rapid expansion of XDR Shigella in the US and urgent need for appropriate detection and management,” researchers added. The bacteria spreads when someone comes into contact with fecal matter, such as through sex or contaminated food or water.

One of the patients was a 62-year-old with a history of HIV and hepatitis C, which compromised his immune system. He had survived shigella twice prior, as well as Mpox, syphilis, and gonorrhea, DailyMail.com reported.

He was rushed to the ICU with sepsis, the body’s extreme reaction to an infection that causes the immune system to attack healthy organs and tissues. He recovered and was treated with the injection meropenem, an alternative to antibiotics.

The other two patients, ages 29 and 62, went to their primary care doctors for persistent diarrhea and were treated with several courses of antibiotics.

The CDC estimates there are 450,000 reported cases of shigella in the US every year, and over half are resistant to common antibiotics like ciprofloxacin (Cipro). Gay and bisexual men are at the greatest risk, along with homeless people without reliable access to clean hygiene facilities.

Earlier this year, for example, officials in San Jose, California, confirmed three cases and suspected another 19 of shigella in a two-week period. The breakouts are centered around homeless encampments in the area. In 2023 45 cases of the bacteria were confirmed in Portland, Oregon, encampments.

“The temporal proximity of the cases prompted concerns for a potential outbreak,”UCLA experts warned. “Our study provides timely and deeper insights into the rapid spread of XDR Shigella in the United States.”