What are the causes of Shigella?

What are the causes of Shigella?

The bacteria are spread when someone comes into contact with the stool of an infected person, or with something that has been contaminated with the stool or the bacteria. People get shigellosis by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated, or through sexual contact with an infected person.

How is Shigella treated?

Shigella can be resistant to some antibiotics, so a doctor will perform a stool test to see which antibiotics may help. Antibiotics commonly used to treat Shigella are ampicillin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra), ceftriaxone (Rocephin), or ciprofloxacin. Precautions can prevent the spread of Shigella.

How is Shigella transmitted?

Shigella can pass from stool or soiled fingers of one person to the mouth of another person, including during sexual activity. Many Shigella outbreaks among this population have been reported in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe since 1999.

How do you know if you have Shigella?

Frequent bouts of watery diarrhea are the main symptom of shigellosis. Abdominal cramping, nausea, and vomiting may also occur. Many people who have shigellosis also have either blood or mucus in their stool, and they may run a fever. Symptoms usually begin within 1–2 days of coming in contact with Shigella.

Where is Shigella found in the body?

The Shigella bacteria pass through your stomach and then multiply in your small intestines. They then spread into your large intestines (also known as colon), causing cramping in that part of your body, along with diarrhea.

What foods is Shigella found in?

Foods that have been identified in Shigella outbreaks include salads (potato, shrimp, tuna, chicken, turkey, macaroni, fruit, and lettuce), chopped turkey, rice balls, beans, pudding, strawberries, spinach, raw oysters, luncheon meat, and milk. Contamination of these or other foods is through the fecal–oral route.

How long can Shigella infection last?

Some people with shigellosis will not have any symptoms. Symptoms usually last 5 to 7 days, but some people may experience symptoms anywhere from a few days to 4 or more weeks.

Where is Shigella commonly found?

Shigella is found in the stool (feces) of infected people, in food or water contaminated by an infected person, and on surfaces that have been touched by infected people. Shigellosis often occurs in toddlers who are not fully toilet-trained.

Can you get Shigella from yourself?

Direct person-to-person contact is the most common way the disease is spread. For example, if you don’t wash your hands well after changing the diaper of a child who has shigella infection, you may become infected yourself.

Where is Shigella most commonly found?

Shigella outbreaks are more common in child care centers, community wading pools, nursing homes, jails and military barracks. Living or traveling in areas that lack sanitation. People who live or travel in developing countries are more likely to get shigella infection. Being a man who has sex with men.

What are the symptoms associated with Shigella?

Signs and Symptoms. A Shigella infection can cause mild watery or loose stools with no other symptoms, or it can be more serious, with fever, abdominal cramps or tenderness, crampy rectal pain (tenesmus), and mucous-filled and sometimes bloody stools.

Is Shigella contagious, how do you get it?

Shigellosis is very contagious. People can get infected through contact with something contaminated by stool (poop) from an infected person, such as: Shigella also can spread via: It doesn’t take many Shigella bacteria to cause an infection, so the illness spreads easily in families and childcare centers.

What does Shigella do to the human body?

After entering the body in contaminated food, Shigella group bacteria infect cells that line the inside of the intestines and often produce a toxin. The toxin affects both the intestines and the nervous system. Cells of the intestinal lining are damaged, which causes inflammation and bleeding.

What are the possible complications of Shigella infection?

Most Shigella infection usually clears up without complications, but if left untreated or delay in diagnosis may lead to some serious complication such as dehydration (especially severe dehydration can lead to shock and death), seizure, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), toxic megacolon, and reactive arthritis .