The six people who have died in Illinois with infections caused by Elizabethkingia anophelis were infected by a genetically distinct strain of the bacteria than the one that has been linked to 19 deaths in Wisconsin, according to an article on USA Today website.
Meanwhile, no new infections were reported in Wisconsin, where there have been 59 confirmed cases and four possible cases, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Elizabethkingia thrives in warm, moist environments and tends to be resistant to many antibiotics.
Two cases of the Wisconsin strain have been confirmed outside the state — one in Michigan and an additional case in Illinois.
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