Cambridge Study Finds Shigella Spreads 15% Faster Among UK Gay Men as Resistance Tops 70%
Updated
Updated · PinkNews · Jul 8
Cambridge Study Finds Shigella Spreads 15% Faster Among UK Gay Men as Resistance Tops 70%
3 articles · Updated · PinkNews · Jul 8
Summary
Sexually transmitted Shigella in the UK rose 15% faster each year from 2015 to 2020 than strains linked to food or travel, with researchers saying it is now endemic in some gay and bisexual male communities.
More than 70% of sexually transmitted strains resisted at least one relevant antibiotic by the end of the study, versus 40% of non-sexually transmitted cases and 49% of travel-related infections.
DNA tracking of 3,514 UK cases from 2004 to 2020 found sexually transmitted strains spread more than twice as fast over 2.5 years and across wider networks, averaging 117 km between related strains versus 46 km otherwise.
UKHSA recorded 2,560 Shigella cases last year that may have involved sexual contact, and researchers now estimate more than half of UK infections spread that way.
The study says standard advice focused on handwashing and food hygiene misses a public-health gap, urging distinct surveillance, prevention and treatment for sexually transmissible shigellosis.
Why is a drug-resistant 'super-diarrhoea' now spreading globally through gay and bisexual men's sexual networks?
As a common stomach bug becomes an 'untreatable' STI, what does this signal for the future of antibiotics?
Surge in Sexually Transmitted, Antibiotic-Resistant Shigella Hits UK: 2,560 Cases in 2025
Overview
The United Kingdom is facing an urgent public health crisis as Shigella, an intestinal infection caused by bacteria found in faeces, spreads rapidly and is increasingly transmitted sexually. Only a tiny amount of Shigella is needed to cause infection, and it can be passed on during sex, especially affecting gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. The UK Health Security Agency has reported a sharp rise in cases, with 2,560 recorded in 2025. Alarming levels of antibiotic resistance mean common treatments are becoming ineffective, making shigellosis much harder to treat and raising the risk of untreatable infections.