What causes shigellosis?
Shigellosis is an infectious disease, caused by the Shigella bacteria, that produces stomach pain, diarrhea and fever. Shigellosis is caused by coming into contact with stool or food that is infected with the bacteria. Treatment includes rest, fluids, and in severe cases, antibiotics to treat the infection.
What can give you Shigella?
Eat contaminated food. Infected people who handle food can spread the bacteria to people who eat the food. Food can also become infected with shigella bacteria if it grows in a field that contains sewage.
Where is shigella found in the body?
Shigellosis is an infection of the colon (large intestine) caused by Shigella bacteria. Shigellosis is also called bacillary dysentery because it can cause severe diarrhea. However, the infection often causes only mild symptoms. Shigella can be found in water polluted with infected sewage.
What are the signs and symptoms of Shigella?
Symptoms of shigellosis include: Diarrhea (sometimes bloody) Fever. Stomach pain….When to Contact Your Doctor
- Fever.
- Bloody diarrhea.
- Severe stomach cramping or tenderness.
- Dehydrated.
- Feel very sick.
Will Shigella go away?
Shigellosis often goes away without treatment. Doctors sometimes give antibiotics to those who have serious symptoms or other medical conditions. Antibiotics can shorten the illness and help prevent the spread of bacteria to others.
Can Shigella cause death?
Worldwide, Shigella is estimated to cause 80–165 million cases of disease and 600,000 deaths annually; of these, 20–119 million illnesses and 6,900–30,000 deaths are attributed to foodborne transmission. Shigella spp. are endemic in temperate and tropical climates.
Can shigella be cured?
Treatment for mild Shigella infection usually involves just rest and fluids, and the illness resolves on its own without antibiotics.
What medication is used to treat Shigella?
The following antibiotics are used to treat Shigella dysentery: Beta-lactams: Ampicillin, amoxicillin, third-generation cephalosporins (cefixime, ceftriaxone), and pivmecillinam (not available in the United States) Quinolones: Nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin. Macrolides: Azithromycin.
What is the best antibiotic for Shigella?
These medications may make symptoms worse. Antibiotics can shorten the time you have fever and diarrhea by about 2 days. Ciprofloxacin and azithromycin are two recommended oral antibiotics.
How do you test for Shigella?
To confirm the diagnosis of shigellosis, doctors take a sample of stool and send it to a laboratory to grow (culture) and identify the bacteria. Bacteria are also tested to see which antibiotics are effective (a process called susceptibility testing ).
Which medicine is best for dysentery?
Amebic dysentery is treated with metronidazole (Flagyl) or tinidazole (Tindamax). These drugs kill the parasites. In some cases, a follow-up drug is given to make sure all the parasites are gone. In severe cases, your doctor may recommend an intravenous (IV) drip to replace fluids and prevent dehydration.