Shigella

Key points

• causes diarrhoea (may be bloody), abdominal pain
• severity depends on type: S sonnei (e.g. from UK) may be mild, S. flexneri or S. dysenteriae from abroad may cause severe disease
• Shigella infection is usually self-limiting and does not require antibiotic treatment
• antibiotics (e.g. ciprofloxacin) are indicated for people with severe disease, who are immunocompromised or with bloody diarrhoea