Shigella is not an STD.
Shigella can be sexually transmitted although it's not really an STD.
Shigella infection (shigellosis) is an intestinal infection caused by a family of bacteria known as shigella.
The main sign of shigella infection is diarrhea, which often is bloody. Shigella is very contagious.
An infected person can spread the bacteria for as long as four weeks.
Shigella is not spread from one person to another by coughing or sneezing, sharing drinks, hugging or kissing.
Shigella is a genus of bacteria that is Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, non-spore-forming, nonmotile, rod-shaped, and genetically closely related to E. coli.
The genus is named after Kiyoshi Shiga, who first discovered it in 1897.
You can become infected with Shigella by:
Eating food or drinking liquids contaminated by an infected person.
Touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then touching their mouth or putting a contaminated object into their mouth.
Shigella usually goes away in 5 to 7 days with rest and fluids.
But in severe cases, you may need to go to the hospital.
Shigellosis is common in the United States with about a half-million cases every year.
A severe Shigella infection can spread into the blood, which can be life-threatening.
E. coli symptoms in adults are usually much milder and produce more typical gastrointestinal problems.
Shigella, however, may produce serious bloody diarrhea both adults and children.
Symptoms of shigellosis include diarrhea (often bloody), abdominal pain, stomach cramps, and fever.
Sometimes people infected with Shigella have no symptoms at all, but can still pass the bacteria to others.
Symptoms usually begin 1 to 3 days after being exposed to Shigella.
Children under age 5 are most likely to get shigella 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.
Foods that have been identified in Shigella outbreaks include salads (potato, shrimp, tuna, chicken, turkey, macaroni, fruit, and lettuce), chopped turkey, rice balls, beans, pudding, strawberries, spinach, raw oysters, luncheon meat, and milk.
Contamination of these or other foods is through the fecal–oral route.