Shigellosis

Bacteria - Shigella sonnei

                 Shigella flexneri

Symptoms - Diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, dehydration, chills, vomiting.  Some individuals may be asymptomatic, meaning that they do not experience any symptoms, yet they are in fact infected with the illness.

Sources - Shigellosis is passed from one person to the next.  With respect to food, food can become contaminated by infected food handlers who forget or neglect to observe proper handwashing procedures.  Foods harvested from fields contaminated with sewage is another source of contamination.  Flies can also contaminate food by breeding on infected feces and then coming into contact with food.

Incubation Period - Symptoms of shigellosis generally begin to develop 1-2 days after exposure.

Duration of Illness - Shigellosis usually lasts for 5-7 days, and individuals who experience severe diarrhea may be hospitalized.

Treatment - In most cases where needed, antibiotics can be used to treat shigellosis.  Some strains of shigella have become resistant to antibiotics and further use of antibiotics to treat mild illnesses will only make shigella more resistant to treatment.  In severe cases, antibiotics are prescribed.  Mild cases of shigellosis should be allowed to run its course as patients with mild cases usually recover quickly.

Prevention - The spread of shigella from one person to the next can be stopped by frequent and thorough handwashing.  Also, it is important that infected foodworkers do not prepare food or drinks for the public while they are infected and should only be allowed back to work when it is confirmed that they are now longer infected.  Shigella can still be passed in the stool for 1-2 weeks after an individuals illness.

For more information about Shigellosis, Click Here 

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