Shigella or shigellosis is an intestinal infection caused by the Enterobacter family. The main symptom of this infection is blood diarrhea.
Most non-vegetarians love eating shawarma rolls which is easily available in food joints and restaurants and goes well with the taste bugs. But then there is a twist to the tale. In a shocking incident from Kerala's Kasaragod, a teenage girl lost her life and 30 others are admitted to the hospital after eating shawarma from an eatery joint at Cheruvathur.
Doctors say this is a case of food poisoning. Usually food poisioning cases are not that fatal. But here the case is different. A bacteria named Shigella has been identified as the reason behind the food poisoning incident. The bacteria has been confirmed to be found in the blood and faeces of people undergoing treatment after they fell ill due to eating chicken shawarma last week.
Read | Shigella bacteria outbreak in Kerala: 58 people ill, one dead after eating 'shawarma' at restaurant
Police have arrested the owner and staff of the eatery. The Kerala High Court has taken cognisance of the incident and sought the state government's stand on it. But while food poisoning is fairly common, here we try to understand the root cause of this unfortunate incident. What is Shigella bacteria, how common is it, what are its symptoms and how fatal it can be, read everything we need to know.
What is Shigella bacteria?
Shigella infection (shigellosis) is an intestinal infection caused by a family of bacteria known as shigella. The main symptom of this infection is blood diarrhea. Shigella is very contagious. People get infected with this bacteria when they come in contact with and swallow small amounts of bacteria from the stool of a person who is infected.
The disease is easily spread by direct or indirect contact with the excrement of the patient. You can get the infection if you swim or take a bath in contaminated water. Shigella is one of the leading bacterial causes of diarrhoea worldwide.
Shigella mainly affects the intestine and can cause diarrhoea, stomach pain, and fever. Children under age 5 are most likely to aquire the infection, but it can occur at any age. A mild case usually clears up on its own within a week. When treatment is needed, doctors generally prescribe antibiotics.
This infection caused by a family of bacteria named enterobacter, that belongs to the enterobacter family usually reside in the intestine but not all of which cause disease in humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the infection spreads easily as it takes only 'a small number of bacteria to make someone ill'.
Symptoms of Shigella infection
Signs and symptoms of shigella infection usually begin a day or two after contact with shigella. But it may take up to a week to develop. Signs and symptoms may include:
1. Diarrhea (often containing blood or mucus)
2. Abdominal pain or cramps
3. Fever
4. Nausea or vomiting
5. Tiredness
6. Blood in stool
How common is Shigella infection?
Shigella cause an estimated 450,000 infections in the United States each year. The four species of Shigella are - Shigella sonnei (the most common species in the United States) Shigella flexneri, Shigella boydii and Shigella dysenteriae.
The outbreaks are more common and severe during pregnancy, in children under five years of age, and in those with weakened immune systems.
Causes of the infection
1. Touch your mouth - Direct person-to-person contact is the most common way the disease is spread. For example, if you don't wash your hands well after changing the diaper of a child who has shigella infection, you may become infected yourself.
2. Eat contaminated food - Infected people who handle food can spread the bacteria to people who eat the food. Food can also become infected with shigella bacteria if it grows in a field that contains sewage.
3. Swallow contaminated water - Water may become infected with shigella bacteria either from sewage or from a person with shigella infection swimming in it.
When should you see a doctor?
If a person is suffering with severe diarrhoea, which means 20 or more bowel movements in a day, they should see a doctor within a day.
A patient with mild symptoms can wait for three to four days before going to a doctor.
Also, if an infected person is running a fever of 101 degrees F or higher, one must immediately approach a doctor.
The infection does not generally kill, unless the patient has a weak immune system. It can also turn fatal if the bacteria is resistant to the medicines.
Precautions to be followed
Washing the hands thoroughly before and after a meal.
Ensure the drinking water is clean and the fruits and vegetables are fresh.
Ensure products such as milk, chicken, and fish that have a higher tendency to spoil must be kept at a proper temperature and also cooked well.
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