Discovery of a novel sub-lineage of multi-drug resistant Shigella flexneri in Southern California

Abstract

Clustered outbreaks of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Shigella are on the rise among men who have sex with men (MSM). Identification of MDR sub-lineages is critical for clinical management and public health interventions. Here, we describe a novel MDR sub-lineage of Shigella flexneri isolated from an MSM patient without a travel history in Southern California. Detailed genomic characterization of this novel strain would serve as a reference to aid monitoring and future outbreak investigation of MDR Shigella among MSM.

Keywords: Men who have sex with men; Multi-drug resistant Shigella; Shigella flexneri; Whole genome sequencing.