Shigellosis

Definition

A rare bacterial infectious disease characterized by dysentery caused by Shigella. There are four species (S. dysenteriae, S. flexneri, S. boydii and S. sonnei), all of which cause bacillary dysentery and are strictly limited to human hosts. Affected individuals present with dysenteric syndrome with 10-30 glairy, bloody and watery stools per day, a high temperature (40°C), abdominal pain/cramps and tenesmus following an incubation period of 2-3 days.