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Identification of Shigella Sonnei

Shigella sonnei is a gram-negative bacterium in the Enterobacteriaceae family. This pathogen, which is closely related to Escherichia coli, causes a disease called shigellosis. Although three other Shigella pathogens also cause shigellosis, the sonnei strain causes the most outbreaks in the United States. Most people who have mild infections will recover without needing medication, but this disease can be serious in young children and the elderly.

  1. Appearance and Transmission

    • The Shigella sonnei bacteria is rod-shaped, light yellow in color and forms irregular bacterial colonies when it is grown in a dish. It does not create spores, move around or require oxygen to live. The species is highly contagious and passes from one person to another through fecal-oral contact. Young children from the age of 6 months to 5 years are at high risk of becoming infected as well as infecting others. Outbreaks often occur in day care centers, nursing homes and residential care facilities.

    Symptoms of Shigellosis

    • If you have a Shigella sonnei infection, you will most likely experience tenesmus, which is the feeling of constantly needing to defecate even if you have just gone and your bowels are empty. You may also run a fever that begins several days after you have been exposed to the disease. Stomach or abdominal cramps are also common, as well as vomiting. The most common symptom, however, is bloody, mucous-filled diarrhea. The symptoms usually last anywhere from three days to a week.

    Complications

    • You can also identify Shigella sonnei infections by the secondary complications that often follow or accompany the disease. According to Medscape, around 40 percent of all children who are diagnosed with shigellosis experience headaches, confusion and other symptoms of encephalopathy, a brain disorder. Some young children between the ages of 2 and 10 have abnormally high white blood cell counts. Severely infected patients who are less than 2 years of age may run a high fever accompanied by generalized seizures.

    Treatment

    • Doctors must identify the strain of Shigella before they can determine a course of treatment. Most Shigella sonnei infections can be treated with ciprofloxacin, ampicillin or other antibiotics. The antibiotics shorten the duration of the illness by killing the bacteria inside the stomach and intestines. People who have already had Shigella sonnei infections develop antibodies against the pathogen and will not become reinfected with that strain for several years. You can prevent infections by washing your hands often with soap.

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