The original infection source remains unknown in the Wisconsin Elizabethkingia outbreak, according to an article on the Becker's Hospital Review website.
Elizabethkingia occurs in the natural environment and has been detected in soil, river water and reservoirs.
There have been 63 confirmed cases of the infection in the state of Wisconsin. There are four additional cases in individuals who tested positive for Elizabethkingia, but those strains cannot be confirmed as being associated with the outbreak. There have been 19 deaths associated with Elizabethkingia in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said that Elizabethkingia bacteria are rarely reported to cause illness in humans, and those who have been diagnosed with the infection in Wisconsin are, for the most part, over the age of 65 and have at least one underlying serious illness.
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