Julia Solans
Present in France for several years, shigellosis is not known to the general public but is nonetheless dangerous. Transmitted by the faecal-oral route, it is a fatal diarrheal disease in the event of complications and which is highly resistant to antibiotics. In a press release, the Institut Pasteur indicated the rise of one of the strains on French territory.
Beware of this highly contagious diarrheal disease which is spreading dangerously in France. Unknown to many, it is commonly called shigellosis and comes from the Shigella bacteria. In a press release, the Institut Pasteur reported the rise in France of strains of Shigella sonnei which are “highly resistant to antibiotics”. Particularly deadly in developing countries, shigellosis has a “high epidemic potential” which is of particular concern to scientists. Cases are mainly detected within the homosexual community, among men.
Symptoms of shigellosis vary in severity, but are mostly characterized by “abdominal pain often accompanied by vomiting.” The stools can thus become very frequent, sometimes going as far as hemorrhage. In the event of a complication, the patient may be hypoglycemic, dehydrated or even be the victim of an intestinal obstruction. “Serious forms can lead to death”, details the Pasteur Institute.
A disease resistant to antibiotics
Although this disease is curable, its resistance to “first-line” antibiotics is very problematic. Unlike other diarrheal diseases which are rather common on a daily basis, this one obliges the patient to take antibiotics which are much rarer on the market and whose price is also doubled. According to the Institut Pasteur, these strains have been detected in Australia, the United States, England and France.
Still too recent for scientists, this bacterium still requires numerous studies and research to better learn how to identify it but also how to treat it. “Therapeutic trials are essential to identify effective oral antibiotics to treat these highly resistant strains of Shigella”, specifies the French foundation. Shigellosis kills around 200,000 people worldwide every year.