WEST MICHIGAN - A Michigan patient whose blood sample matched an infection outbreak in Wisconsin has died.

The "older adult from West Michigan with underlying health conditions" had a blood sample showing the bacteria Elizabethkingia anophelis, which has sickened 54 people in 12 Wisconsin counties across Lake Michigan, from Milwaukee west to Madison, and contributed to 17 deaths there.

It's "too early to tell" if the Michigan case is an isolated occurrence or if it could be part of an outbreak like what is happening in Wisconsin, said Jennifer Eisner, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

"This is our first case and we are starting our investigation with the help of the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control). We're going to be vigilant and work with our provider community to make sure any potential case is identified quickly."

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services identified Elizabethkingia in the West Michigan sample Feb. 29 and forwarded it to the CDC for testing, according to the state agency.

The CDC confirmed the state's first case Friday, March 11, and the state agency issued a news release about it Tuesday, March 15.

The agency revised the release Thursday, March 17, stating the patient has died.

The CDC has sent "disease detectives" to Wisconsin in hopes of figuring out why the outbreak is occurring. The CDC has been consulting with Michigan officials via phone and email, but the state has not requested field support, said Melissa Brower, a CDC spokeswoman in Atlanta.

"Elizabethkingia is a common organism," Brower said. "It's found commonly in the environment. It normally doesn't make people sick. It's just when you have something else going on, whether it's immune-suppression from something like cancer treatment or some other underlying health issue.

"Most states each year see about five to 10 cases from this kind of infection."

The deaths in Wisconsin and in Michigan could be caused by the Elizabethkingia infection, a pre-existing health issue, or both, Brower said.

Elizabethkingia rarely makes people sick, and in the current outbreak is ailing mostly people who are age 65 and older and dealing with serious health issues, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Signs and symptoms that resulting from the bacteria can include fever, shortness of breath, chills or cellulitis.

The CDC says cases are being found primarily among people in hospitals or in nursing facilities, the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reports.

Unlike past outbreaks of Elizabethkingia, the bacteria is causing severe infections in the current outbreak and the cases are not concentrated in a single facility or community, the Journal Sentinel reports.

Matt Vande Bunte writes about government and other issues on MLive. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.