Sexually transmitted diarrhea is on the rise — and it’s morphing into a drug-resistant superbug

You don’t have to be a pioneer on the Oregon Trail to catch the bug that causes dysentery. Nowadays, the infection is spreading more through sex — and evolving into something that’s “close to untreatable,” one expert said. Shigella bacteria infect nearly half a million people in the US every year — causing diarrhea with blood or mucus (the hallmark of a dysentery infection), stomach pain, cramps, fever and vomiting. Scientists are learning more about why the disturbing disease is spreading so quickly, and why it’s developing a resistance to treatment. ...