The Michigan health department said that quite uncommon bloodstream infection Elizabethkingiam, which has made dozens of people ill in Wisconsin since November, has been confirmed in a Michigan resident.

On Thursday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said that the older adult, who had underlying health conditions, has died due to the infection. No other information was given regarding the victim. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has seen 54 cases.

In a statement, the Wisconsin agency said that most of the patients suffering from the infection were 65 or above, and all of them have had a history of minimal one underlying deadly illness.

Among them, 17 individuals are no more, though there is no confirmation that they have lost their lives due to the infection or if it was due to patients’ underlying health conditions.

Generally located in soil, river water and reservoirs, the bacteria normally don’t lead to any illness in humans. People suffering from serious underlying health conditions or with compromised immune systems are more vulnerable to the infection. Earlier outbreaks have been linked to health care settings. Usually, the infection is antibiotic-resistant, making it difficult to treat.

Fever, breath shortness, chills and a bacterial skin infection known as cellulitis are the symptoms of Elizabethkingia infection.

Wisconsin health officials and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been working together in this outbreak investigation, but they haven’t so far detected the source. The effort now includes Michigan also.

In a statement, Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said, “Michigan has worked closely with the CDC and Wisconsin Health Department to alert our provider community about the Wisconsin outbreak and to ensure early recognition of potential cases in our state”.