Shigellosis (patient information)

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Assosciate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Prashanth Saddala M.B.B.S

Shigellosis
Overview
What are the symptoms?
What are the causes?
Who is at highest risk?
Diagnosis
When to seek urgent medical care?
Treatment options
Where to find medical care for Shigellosis?
Prevention
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Possible complications
Shigellosis On the Web
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
Images of Shigellosis
Videos on Shigellosis
FDA on Shigellosis
CDC on Shigellosis
Shigellosis in the news
Blogs on Shigellosis
Directions to Hospitals Treating Shigellosis
Risk calculators and risk factors for Shigellosis

For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here.

Overview

Shigellosis is an acute bacterial infection of the lining of the intestines.

What are the symptoms of Shigellosis?

Symptoms usually develop about 1 to 7 days (average 3 days) after you come in contact with the bacteria.

Symptoms include:

• Acute (sudden) abdominal pain or cramping
• Acute (sudden) fever
• Blood, mucus, or pus in stool
• Crampy rectal pain (tenesmus)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Watery diarrhea

What causes Shigellosis?

Shigellosis is caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella.

There are several types of Shigella.

• Shigella sonnei, also called "group D" Shigella, is responsible for most cases of shigellosis in the United States.
• Shigella flexneri, or "group B" Shigella, cause almost all other cases.
• Shigella dysenteriae type 1 is rare in the U.S. but can lead to deadly outbreaks in developing countries.

People infected with the bacteria release it into their stool. The bacteria can spread from an infected person to contaminate water or food, or directly to another person. Getting just a little bit of the Shigella bacteria into your mouth is enough to cause symptoms.

Who is at highest risk?

Outbreaks of shigellosis are associated with poor sanitation, contaminated food and water, and crowded living conditions.

Shigellosis is common among travelers in developing countries and workers or residents of refugee camps.

The condition is most commonly seen in day care centers and group living places.

Diagnosis

• Dehydration with fast heart rate and low blood pressure
• Abdominal tenderness
• Elevated white blood cell count
• Stool culture
• White blood cells in stool