Drug-Resistant Shigella Spreads Through Sexual Contact
The CDC lists the infection as a serious threat, and drug-resistant strains now resist five common antibiotics.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Sexual Health
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The CDC has listed drug-resistant shigellosis as a serious public health threat in its Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report released in October. North Carolina health officials are aware of two sexually transmitted Shigella cases tied to a multi-state cluster, a reminder that the infection reaches adults through sexual contact as well as childcare settings.
Why it matters
Shigella infections that resist multiple antibiotics are harder to treat, so rising resistance affects how clinicians manage a common bacterial illness. The CDC's warnings come as drug-resistant strains spread, which makes prevention and early recognition more important for people at risk.
The figures come from CDC surveillance of Shigella samples, which showed extensively drug-resistant strains rising from 0% between 2011 and 2015 to 8.5% in 2023. Extensively drug-resistant strains resist five antibiotics commonly used to treat the infection, and the full scope of the multi-state cluster has not been detailed.
The players
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The U.S. federal agency that tracks infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance and publishes national surveillance reports.
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
The state health agency that monitors reportable infections, including Shigella, and investigates clusters within North Carolina.
The details
Shigella bacteria live in stool and cause a severe diarrheal illness. The infection spreads easily in daycare settings and through sexual activity that involves exposure to stool, and even a tiny amount of stool contamination can cause illness. Strains that resist multiple antibiotics make treatment more difficult.
Timeline
Extensively drug-resistant Shigella samples measured 0% between 2011 and 2015.
The CDC released a report on rising Shigella drug resistance in April 2026.
Extensively drug-resistant Shigella samples reached 8.5% in 2023.
The CDC released its Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report in October 2026, when North Carolina reported two sexually transmitted cases.
Health Landscape
The CDC's April 2026 report documented extensively drug-resistant Shigella samples rising from 0% between 2011 and 2015 to 8.5% in 2023. The October Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report builds on that trend by listing drug-resistant shigellosis as a serious public health threat.
If you have diarrhea that does not improve, or you have had sexual contact with someone with a recent diarrheal illness, it is worth discussing testing and treatment options with your doctor. Practicing good hand hygiene and, if symptoms occur, following your clinician's advice on abstaining from sex until two weeks after symptoms end can help limit spread.
The takeaway
Drug-resistant Shigella is now a documented national concern, not just a travel or daycare problem. Ask your doctor about testing if you develop persistent diarrhea, and remember that abstaining from sex for two weeks after symptoms end is the recommended precaution.
Further reading
For broader context on how infections pass between partners, explore our Sexual Health coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Durham Herald Sun.
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