SHIGELLA

Closely related to Escheracia

SHIGELLOSIS or BACILLARY DYSTERY
Not member of the normal microbiota
All Shigella spp. can cause bacillary dysentery
Name from Japanese microbiologist KIYOSHI SHIGA (1896)
Dysentery presence of blood, mucus and pus in the stool

Characteristics of Shigella spp.

- Non motile
- They do not produce gas from glucose except for S. flexneri
- They do not hydrolyze urea
- They do not produce H2S
- They do not decarboxylate lysine

Shigella spp. do not use acetate or mucate as source of carbon

S. sonnei unique in its ability to decarboxylate ornithine .

- Slowly ferments lactose, delayed positive fermentation

- Pink colonies on MAC in 48 hours

- ONPG positive

Differential and selective media clear, non lactose fermenting colonies

Shigellae fragile organisms

- Susceptible to various effects of physical and chemical agent

Antigenic structure
- 4 species that are bichemically similar
- Shigella spp. diluted into four major O antigen groups
- Several serotypes exist within each species except for S. sonnei (serotype 1)
- All shigella spp. possess O antigen
- Certain strains can posess K antigens (heat labile and can be remove by
boiling)

Lack of H antigens (non motile)

 Clinical inifections
- Can cause dysentery
- S. sonnei infection is usually a short, self limiting disease
- Mostly young children
- Men who hav sex with men
- S. dysenteriae type I and S. boydii most common isolates
S. dysenteriae type I remains the most virulent species
- significant morbidity and high mortality

- shigellosis is highly communicable

- less than 100 bacilli needed to initiate disease in healthy individuals

- Bacillary dysentery penetration of intestinal epithelial cells after attachment

of the organisms to mucosal surfaces

- Symptoms of shigellosis high fever chills, abdominal cramps and pain (24
48 hours)

- In dysentery caused by DYSENTERIAC TYPE 1 patients experience more severe

symptoms bloody diarrhea, painful bowel movements

- ILEUS most serious complications, obstruction of the intestine, abdominal

dilation toxic megacolon