Shigella Infection (Shigellosis)

“What is Shigella Infection (Shigellosis)” is one of the top prevailing questions on the internet nowadays. So, let us discuss all about Shigella infection in detail.

Shigellosis is a medical condition characterized by an intestinal infection resulting in bloody diarrhea. It is a bacterial infection caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. It is very contagious. People can get infected when they come in contact with and ingest these bacteria from the stool of the patient suffering from the infection. This can occur in hospitals when staff doesn’t wash their hands after changing children’s diapers in child care wards and while swimming or drinking from contaminated water with Shigella. It can also spread from undercooked food or food grown in fields using sewage water.

The route of transmission of Shigella is the fecal-oral route. People infected with Shigella may or may not be exhibiting symptoms depending upon the severity of the infection. But their stool will be infectious and remain so for a few weeks.

Signs and Symptoms:

Signs and symptoms usually occur around 2 days after getting infected with the causative organism. In some cases, it may take as little as 12 hours or up to a week for symptoms to present.

The most common signs and symptoms associated with Shigella infection are:

• Watery diarrhea; containing blood or mucus
• Abdominal cramps
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever
• Rectal tenesmus – feeling of incomplete defecation (removal of stool from the bowel).
• Tachycardia (Elevated heart rate)
• Tachypnea (rapid breathing)
• Abdominal tenderness
• Headache
• Lethargy (tiredness)

Symptoms usually resolve within a week. It may take up to a month for the infection to subside in some cases. In mild cases of infection, a person may not even feel severe symptoms, but their stools will remain contagious for a few weeks.

Some severe symptoms that appear if the infection gets severe are as follows:

• Dehydration – due to loss of fluids due to frequent bathroom trips.
• Rectal bleeding
• Ulcerated mucosa
• Neurological disturbances such as seizures
• Reactive arthritis – inflammation of joints as a result of some infection
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome – a group of blood disorders that affects blood vessels resulting in anemia
• Toxic megacolon – paralysis of a part of the large intestine called the colon
• Bacteremia – infection in the bloodstream
• Rectal prolapse – bulging of rectal lining out through the anus

These symptoms can be debilitating for elders and children due to a weak body’s defense mechanism.

Recognition by signs and symptoms:

Shigella infection is suspected when a person has watery stools more than three times per day and continues for three days. Blood, mucus, or pus is found in stools. The person develops a fever of 101 F (38 C) or higher. He feels the urge to defecate despite an empty bowel. Nausea and vomiting are associated with abdominal pain.

Recognition by laboratory tests:

Laboratory tests are undertaken to confirm the diagnosis when a person presents with signs and symptoms persistent with Shigella infection. Some blood workup and stool examination are required. Tests that are taken and their results in accordance to Shigella infection are as follows:

Blood workup:

• ●       Complete blood count (CBC): Detection of Anemia and a reduced white cell count.
• Blood culture: is performed in children who appear severely ill and malnourished.

Stool Examination:

• Isolation of Shigella bacteria from stool
• Detection of blood and white blood cells

Stool culture:

An early stool culture can reveal the bacteria. Once the stool culture is delayed and the infection progresses, this diagnostic aid is of less value.

More specialized diagnostic modalities include enzyme immunoassay, PCR, fluorescent antibody test, and enzyme-linked DNA probes. The growth on Hektoen enteric agar results in bluish-green colonies, which depicts the growth of Shigella.

Who is more likely to get infected:

Since shigella infection is contagious, it spreads rapidly among the following:

• Children are at a greater risk of getting shigella infection. More specifically, children under the age of 5 can get infected in hospitals because finger and thumb-sucking habits are widespread among toddlers and children of this age group.
• People who live in or travel to areas with a lack of sanitation are also at risk of getting infected.
• You can get yourself infected if you have not washed your hands after changing a baby’s diaper infected with Shigella.
• Sexually active gay men.

Prevention:

The risk of getting infected by Shigella can be decreased if some preventive measures are taken. They are some lifestyle modification habits as you may never know which bacteria contaminate water or food. They are:

• Handwashing should be thorough and frequent, using soap and water, especially before and after eating, using the restroom, changing diapers, preparing food, and contacting an infected person.
• Foods should be washed and cooked properly.
• Patients with shigellosis should not make food for others until they have recovered and have stopped having diarrhea.
• Water from swimming pools, lakes, and ponds should not be swallowed.
• Soiled diapers should be disposed of in a lined garbage container with a lid.
• When visiting other nations, follow the food and water safety regulations.
• If your partner has had diarrhea recently, wait at least a week before indulging in sexual activity.

Treatment:

The main goal is to restore the lost body fluids in most cases of shigellosis. This is done by drinking plenty of fluids, mainly the oral rehydration electrolyte solutions available over the counter.

Medications for treating shigellosis include antibiotics to eliminate bacteria from the body. Once the infection is confirmed to be shigellosis, the doctor might change the antibiotics specifically against this infection. They include:

• Azithromycin
• Sulfamethoxazole
• Ciprofloxacin

Medications to relieve diarrhea are often not prescribed as they do more harm by prolonging the infection.

Mild cases of shigellosis do not require treatment. They usually resolve on their own. Moderate to severe cases need a treatment plan. Usually, the care is provided at home. Still, in severe cases of infection in which lots of body fluids are lost, patients may need to be hospitalized to replenish fluids intravenously.

Tell us in the comments, how you like our article “Flat-Coated Retriever Puppy Suggested Names”

For similar posts like this, click here.

For the source file, click here.