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Shigellosis
What is Shigellosis?
Shigellosis is an intestinal illness caused by infection with Shigella bacteria.
Who gets Shigellosis?
Anyone can get shigellosis, however, it is most common in young children 1 to 4 years of age. Children who attend day care centers are at greater risk for acquiring this infection from other children. Others at risk for contracting Shigellosis include homosexual men, institutionalized persons, and foreign travelers to certain countries.
How is Shigellosis spread?
A person becomes infected with Shigella by swallowing the bacteria. This can occur when an individual eats or drinks contaminated food or water, or has direct contact with an infected person who has poor personal hygiene.
What are the symptoms of Shigellosis?
The symptoms of Shigella include watery diarrhea (which may contain blood and mucus), fever, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. Some infected individuals may not have any symptoms.
How soon do symptoms occur?
Symptoms of shigellosis usually occur between 1 to 7 days after swallowing Shigella bacteria.
How is Shigellosis diagnosed?
The diagnosis of Shigellosis is usually made by finding Shigella bacteria in a stool sample or rectal swab specimen. This is most often accomplished by collecting a stool specimen from the ill individual and sending it to a laboratory for analysis.
What is the treatment for Shigellosis?
Most individuals who become ill with Shigella recover on their own within a week. Some however, may require hospitalization to administer IV fluids to prevent dehydration. Antibiotics may be prescribed by a physician to treat severe cases of illness. Antibiotics may also be prescribed for food handlers, children attending day care, or persons who are institutionalized. Unfortunately, antibiotic resistance has been identified in some Shigella species.
How long is an infected person infectious to others?
An infected person is capable of transmitting Shigellosis to others as long as the Shigella bacteria are being passed in his/her stool, usually lasting no more than 4 weeks from the onset of the illness. Antibiotic treatment may shorten this period of communicability to others.
Should an infected person be excluded from work or school?
Most infected persons may return to work or school when they no longer have diarrhea and fever. Since the Shigella bacteria may continue to be passed in their stool for several weeks, they must remember to carefully wash their hands with soap and water after every bathroom visit.
Special precautions are indicated for food handlers, health care workers, and day care providers and children attending day care. These individuals may put multiple other people at risk of contracting this illness. Food handlers, such as cooks and others who prepare or touch food, are excluded from food handling until they no longer have symptoms and they have at least 2 negative stool tests. Health care workers should be excluded from direct patient care until they no longer have symptoms, and where practical, they should have 2 negative stool tests before resuming regular duties. In child care settings, if Shigella is identified in either a staff member or a child attendee, stools of all staff, attendees, and household contacts with diarrhea should be tested. Infected individuals should be treated with antibiotics. The local health department should be advised of these circumstances, and their staff will be glad to provide further individualized advice to help eliminate the problem.
How can Shigellosis be prevented?
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