Home > Shigellosis

1 Symptoms

Infections are associated with mucosal ulceration , rectal bleeding , drastic dehydrationDehydration is the removal of water ( Greek hydros from an object. There are many methods of dehydration, with the most common being the application of dry heated air. This causes evaporation of the surface water, which is replaced by water internally.; fatality may be as high as 10-15% with some strains. Reiter's disease, reactive arthritisArthritis (from Greek arthro joint + itis inflammation) is a group of conditions that affect the health of the bone joints in the body. One in three adult Americans suffer from some form of arthritis and the disease affects about twice as many women as me, and hemolytic uremic syndrome are possible sequelae that have been reported in the aftermath of shigellosis.

2 Method of infection

As few as 10 cells depending on age and condition of host can be enough to cause an infection. The Shigella spp. are highly infectious agents that are transmitted by the fecal-oral route.

The disease is caused when virulent Shigella organisms attach to, and penetrate, epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa. After invasion, they multiply intracellularly, and spread to contiguous epitheleal cells resulting in tissue destruction. Some strains produce enterotoxinSubstances that are toxic to the intestinal tract causing vomiting, diarrhea, etc. and Shiga toxinShiga toxins are a family of related toxins with two major groups, Stx1 and Stx2, whose genes are considered to be part of the genome of lambdoid prophages. Shiga toxins act to inhibit protein synthesis within target cells. (very much like the verotoxin of ).

Shigella can be transmitted through foodFood is any substance normally eaten or drunk by living organisms. The term food also includes liquid drinks. Food is the main source of energy and of nutrition for animals, and is usually of animal or plant origin. The study of food is called food scienc. Food known to do so includes salads (potato, tuna, shrimp, macaroni, and chicken), raw vegetables, milk and dairy products, and poultry. Contamination of these foods is usually through the fecal-oral route. Fecally contaminated water and unsanitary handling by food handlers are the most common causes of contamination.

An estimated 300,000 cases of shigellosis occur annually in the United States. Infants, the elderly, and the infirm are susceptible to the severest symptoms of disease, but all humans are susceptible to some degree. Shigellosis is a very common malady suffered by individuals with acquired immune deficiency syndrome ( AIDS) and AIDS-related complex , as well as non-AIDS homosexual men.

This page, or an earlier version of it, was compiled from chapter 19 of the Bad Bug Book, a publication from the FDA/CFSAN believed to be public domain. If you intend to use this information, you are advised to check that source first, since this page may be based on an outdated version of the material (last update before usage: February 2002, usage: September 2002).