Mysterious blood infection has killed 18 in Wisconsin

Still unknown how it was contracted

A blood infection has killed 18 people in Wisconsin, but how they got it remains a mystery.

The Centers for Disease Control are trying to find out how more than 40 people have become infected by Elizabethkingia, which causes fever, chills, and shortness of breath.

Eighteen people in the state tested positive for the bacteria after they died, but it’s not known if the infection caused their deaths. 

Dr. Todd Kowalski from Gundersen Health System in La Crosse says the bacteria mostly causes illness among people 65-and-over, who have other health problems.

The closest that the illness has come to La Crosse is the Portage area.