Bacillary dysentery

Bacillary dysentery is a type of dysentery, and is a severe form of shigellosis.

Bacillary dysentery is associated with species of bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceae family. The term is usually restricted to Shigella infections.

Shigellosis is caused by one of several types of Shigella bacteria. Three species are associated with bacillary dysentery : Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri and Shigella dysenteriae. One study in China indicated that Shigella flexneri 2a was the most common serotype.

Salmonellosis caused by Salmonella enterica (serovar Typhimurium) has also been described as a cause of bacillary dysentery, though this definition is less common. It is sometimes listed as an explicit differential diagnosis of bacillary dysentery, as opposed to a cause.

Bacillary dysentery should not be confused with diarrhea caused by a bacterial infection. One characteristic of bacillary dysentery is blood in stool, which is the result of invasion of the mucosa by the pathogen. By contrast, conditions such as Campylobacteriosis causes diarrhea, but usually not bloody diarrhea.

Pathogenesis

Humans may get the infection by ingesting food or drink contaminated by feces from carriers of the bacteria. The organism infects the epithelial cells of the terminal ileum and colon and multiply inside them. The distal part is severely infected. Inflammatory reaction

Treatment

There are several Shigella vaccine candidates in various stages of development that could reduce the incidence of dysentery in endemic countries, as well as in travelers suffering from traveler's diarrhea.

Mild cases of bacillary dysentery are often self-limiting and do not require antibiotics, which are reserved for more severe or persisting cases; campylobacter, shigella and salmonella respond to ciprofloxacin or macrolide antibiotics.