Shigella infection

Context:

A number of cases of Shigella infection have been detected in the Kozhikode district of Kerala.

What is shigella infection?

• Shigellosis or Shigella infection is a contagious intestinal infection.
• Caused by: It is caused by a genus of bacteria known as Shigella.
  • The same bacteria are also understood to be the prime reason for the occurrence of diarrhea especially among children in African and South Asian countries.
  • The lethal bacteria enter the body through ingestion and harm the epithelial lining of the colon resulting in severe inflammation and subsequent damage to the cells.
  • The bacteria is so lethal that only a minute number of bacteria can cause havoc in a person’s body.
• Transmission: It gets transmitted from person to person after the bacteria has been ingested by the person accidentally.

What are the symptoms?

• People with shigellosis may start experiencing symptoms within one or two days of the entry of germs into the body.
• The common symptoms are:
  • diarrhea (often bloody and painful)
  • stomach pain
  • fever
  • nausea
  • vomiting
• There have been cases too where people don’t experience any signs of bacterial infection.