Shigella

This chapter examines shigellosis, an inflammatory, infectious diarrheal disease that is endemic in children living in high-risk countries. It cites how shigellosis can be acquired by travelers, and the risk of the disease is generally higher among men that have sex with men. It also mentions Shigella spp. as a gram-negative rod that belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family of bacteria. The chapter looks at the four species of Shigella and different types of Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri, Shigella boydii, and Shigella sonnei. It emphasizes how humans are the only known natural host of Shigella, and the infection of shigellosis is transmitted via the fecal-oral route from person to person.