Shigella Infection (shigellosis): Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Prevention

 

Your digestive system is affected by shigellosis, another name for shigella infection. The bacteria may produce bloody diarrhea. Frequently cleaning your hands with soap and water is essential to prevent the disease from spreading.

An intestinal infection known as shigella infection (shigellosis) is brought on by the shigella family of bacteria. 

Shigella is highly transmissible. Shigella infections occur when people come into contact with and swallow small amounts of bacteria from an infected person's stool. This may occur, for instance, at a childcare facility if employees neglect to thoroughly wash their hands after changing diapers or assisting young children with potty training. Shigella bacteria can also be contracted via swimming in contaminated water, eating contaminated food, or both.

What is Shigella infection?

Your digestive tract is impacted by shigellosis, also known as a Shigella infection brought on by the Shigella bacteria. Those who are infected experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach ache. Shigella is highly transmissible. There are various groups within the shigella bacteria group.

Shigellosis can be contracted through contaminated water or food consumption. You could unintentionally ingest the water you're swimming in and contract shigellosis if the water is contaminated.

Bacillary dysentery is another name for a food poisoning condition known as shigella infection. Bloody or mucus-filled diarrhea is called dysentery.

Symptoms:

Typical Shigellosis warning signs and symptoms include:

• Diarrhea, which may be bloody, watery, or include pus or mucous.
• Cramps in the stomach.
• Vomiting.
• Fever
• Shigella infections might occasionally cause no symptoms at all, yet the infection is still contagious.

Usually, the duration of symptoms is between five and seven days. The duration of the symptoms may vary. Some persons who contract Shigella have no symptoms at all. Their excrement could still be infectious for a few weeks, though.

Also Read: H. pylori Infection: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention

Causes:

When you inadvertently consume Shigella bacteria, you become infected. This may occur if you:

•  The most frequent way that the disease spreads is through direct human contact. For example, you run the risk of being infected yourself if you don't thoroughly wash your hands after changing a child's diaper.

• Eat food that is contaminated .Those who touch food and are infected can transfer the infection to those who consume it. Food that grows in a field that receives sewage runoff is also susceptible to contracting the shigella bacteria

• Ingest contaminated water. A person swimming in water who has shigella infections or sewage can both transmit bacteria into the water.

Risk Factors:

• Being a child. The greatest risk of contracting shigella is in children under five. However, anyone may be infected with shigella at any age.

• Taking part in group activities or residing in group housing. The bacteria spread from person to person through close contact. Shigella outbreaks are more frequent in community wading pools, childcare facilities, prisons, assisted living facilities, and military barracks.

• Traveling or living in unsanitary places. Shigella infections are more common in those who visit or reside in underdeveloped nations.

How does one diagnose shigellosis?

Your symptoms may lead your physician to conclude that you have a Shigella infection. To be certain, though, you will need to test a stool sample for the presence of the bacteria.

Complications

Shigellosis diarrhea can result in dehydration. For young children and the elderly, this illness can be very dangerous.

These issues can occasionally result from a Shigella infection:

• Infections of the bloodstream.
• Seizures (in children).
• Reiter's syndrome, or reactive arthritis, is another name for post-infection arthritis. You will experience pain when you urinate (pee), achy joints, and inflamed eyes if this develops following shigellosis.
• Anemia can result from hemolytic uremic syndrome, a disorder that damages small blood vessels.

How do you treat shigellosis?

The severity of Shigella determines how it should be treated.


At-home self-care:

To prevent dehydration, which is a serious loss of body water, you should treat symptoms that are mild with rest and fluid consumption.

For diarrhea, Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol®) is another option. Take neither diphenoxylate with atropine (Lomotil®) nor loperamide (Imodium®) together as these medications slow down bowel movements and maintain bacteria in the body.

Medical treatment:

Doctors may recommend an antibiotic to treat shigellosis in patients with weakened immune systems or more severe forms of the infection. Your doctor might recommend azithromycin or ciprofloxacin.

Even if you feel better before the antibiotics run out, make sure you take all of the prescribed dosage according to the guidelines.

 Prevention:

By doing the following, you can reduce your chance of contracting or spreading shigellosis:

• Hands should be frequently cleaned for at least 20 seconds using soap and water.

•  Particularly before and after meals, after using bathrooms and changing diapers, before cooking, and after coming into contact with an infected person.

• Make sure to thoroughly wash and cook food.

• Diapers should be disposed of in a lined, lidded trash bin.

• When going abroad, abide by the regulations regarding safe food and drink.

• Watch small children wash their hands.

• Remind kids who have diarrhea to stay home from daycare, playdates, or school.

• Do not consume water from lakes, ponds, or untreated swimming pools.

• You should wait to go swimming until you are completely well.

References:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Multiple pages reviewed for this article. Shigella++ – Shigellosis++ (https://www.cdc.gov/shigella/general-information.html). Accessed 3/23/2022.

• Merck Manual Consumer Version. Shigellosis (https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/infections/bacterial-infections-gram-negative-bacteria/shigellosis). Accessed 3/23/2022.

• Walls RM, et al., eds. Infectious diarrheal disease and dehydration. In: Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 9th ed. Elsevier; 2018. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 22, 2020.

• Foodsafety.gov. Shigella (https://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/shigella/index.html). Accessed 3/23/2022.

• Agha R, et al. Shigella infection: Clinical manifestations and diagnosis. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Oct. 14, 2020.

• Kliegman RM, et al. Shigella. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Elsevier; 2020. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 14, 2020.

• Hale TL, Keusch GT. Shigella (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8038/). In: Baron S, editor. Medical Microbiology. 4th edition. Galveston (TX): University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; 1996. Chapter 22. Accessed 3/23/2022.

• Agha R, et al. Shigella infection: Treatment and prevention in adults. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Oct. 14, 2020.