Shigellosis (Shigella infection)

At a glance

No vaccine available – read more about prevention
Nationally notifiable disease

About shigellosis

Shigellosis is caused by infection with Shigella bacteria. It is highly contagious.

Most people with shigellosis get diarrhoea.

There is no vaccine for shigellosis, but it can be prevented.

Why it matters to public health

In some countries, shigellosis is a major cause of diarrhoea-related death in young children.

In Australia, many infections are diagnosed in people returning from overseas. But outbreaks have also been reported in Australia among:

gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM)
some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, especially in remote areas.

Outbreaks have been linked to limited access to clean water, adequate sanitation, quality housing and healthcare.

Some Shigella bacteria are becoming resistant to some antibiotics. This means that these infections are harder to treat. Detecting these infections is critical to prevent further spread of resistant bacteria.

Because of these major impacts, we:

monitor and report on shigellosis in Australia
support the surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance
plan for how to manage major outbreaks.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Symptoms of shigellosis include:

diarrhoea (often with blood or mucus)
fever
nausea
vomiting
abdominal pain
feeling the need to pass stools, even after emptying bowels.

Symptoms usually resolve without treatment in 4 to 7 days but can last longer.

Dehydration is a common complication, especially in young children.

Rarely, shigellosis can lead to serious complications, including:

sepsis
severe inflammation of the colon (toxic megacolon)
reactive arthritis
haemolytic uraemic syndrome.

Read more about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of shigellosis.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start between 1 and 3 days after getting infected. But this can range from 12 hours to 1 week.

How it spreads

Shigellosis is highly contagious. Only a few bacterial cells are enough to cause infection.

Shigella bacteria are present in the stools of infected people.

The infection spreads when the bacteria enter another person’s mouth. This can happen through:

direct contact with infected stool
eating or drinking contaminated food or water
handling soiled nappies, linen or towels of an infectious person
having close or intimate contact with an infectious person.

People can get shigellosis more than once.

Infectious period

People with shigellosis spread the infection most easily while they have diarrhoea and for 2 days after diarrhoea stops. But they can remain infectious for up to 4 weeks.

Rarely, people without symptoms can carry and spread the bacteria for months.

Prevention

Protect yourself

To reduce the risk of shigellosis, people should:

always practise good hand hygiene
practise safe sex, including:
- using barriers, such as condoms and dental dams
- not having sexual contact if anybody involved has had diarrhoea during the past week
- not having contact with the anus of anybody who has had diarrhoea during the past 2 weeks
- wash hands, genitals and sex toys thoroughly before and after sex
follow safe travel advice, especially when in areas where shigellosis is more common
handle, store and cook food safely.

Protect others

Until advised by a health professional they can resume normal activities, people with shigellosis should:

stay away from work, school and early childhood education and care centres
not prepare or handle food for others, if possible
avoid providing care to others, if possible
wash hands often, especially after using the toilet and before eating
not share utensils, linen, towels or personal items with others
not have sexual contact
not swim in public aquatic facilities.

Priority groups and settings

Some people are at greater risk of getting shigellosis or getting very sick from it.

Settings that make it more likely for shigellosis to spread might include:

food venues
early childhood education and care centres
places where many people live close together – like aged care homes, healthcare facilities and some remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
places where there is limited access to healthcare, handwashing facilities, and sanitation
venues that offer sex on premises.

People at greater risk should take steps to protect themselves.

People at greater risk of severe disease

Shigellosis poses a greater risk of severe illness for:

young children
people who are immunocompromised
older people.

People at greater risk of exposure

Anyone can get shigellosis. People are at greatest risk of getting shigellosis if they have close contact – including household or sexual contact – with someone with shigellosis.

But people might be more likely to be exposed if they:

travel to countries where shigellosis is common
are GBMSM
are young children
are in a remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community where shigellosis occurs.

Read more information about preventing shigellosis for remote communities.

Diagnosis and treatment

Shigellosis is diagnosed through a stool test. 

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you. 

Find a health service

Most people with shigellosis recover within about a week without treatment. It is very important for people with shigellosis to stay hydrated.

Some people with shigellosis are treated with antibiotics. People with severe symptoms or complications might need to be cared for in hospital.

Surveillance and reporting

Shigellosis is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new laboratory confirmed cases and probable cases to us daily through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

The OzFoodNet network monitors and responds to foodborne diseases in Australia, including shigellosis.

This is part of our surveillance activities, which help us monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease patterns.

We analyse the data and report on case numbers and other data through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information.

Outbreaks

The response to outbreaks of shigellosis in Australia focuses on: 

finding the likely source of infection 
preventing further infections.

Actions public health authorities might take during an outbreak include:

advising people with shigellosis to stay home from work, school or childcare while infectious – it may be longer for people with certain jobs that increase the risk of spreading shigellosis to others
educating people about shigellosis and how to prevent it
undertaking testing to find the source of the outbreak
sharing information through the OzFoodNet network – for foodborne outbreaks.

Read more about how the Australian Government defines and plans for outbreaks.

Support

For information about shigellosis in your state or territory, including exclusion policies, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

For travel advice, see Smartraveller.