Shigella flexneri: an emerging pathogen

• Published in: Folia microbiologica Vol. 65; no. 2; pp. 275 - 291
• Main Authors: Nisa, Iqbal, Qasim, Muhammad, Yasin, Nusrat, Ullah, Rafi, Ali, Anwar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-04-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Applied Microbiology; Azithromycin; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cephalosporins; Diarrhea; Drinking water; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Epidemiology; Etiology; Fluoroquinolones; Immunology; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Multidrug resistance; Pathogens; Review; Sanitation; Serotypes; Shigella flexneri; Shigellosis; Socioeconomics
• ISSN: 0015-5632; 1874-9356
• DOI: 10.1007/s12223-020-00773-w

Shigella flexneri
is a leading etiologic agent of diarrhea in low socioeconomic countries. Notably, various serotypes in
S. flexneri
are reported from different regions of the world. The precise approximations of illness and death owing to shigellosis are missing in low socioeconomic countries, although it is widespread in different regions. The inadequate statistics available reveal
S. flexneri
to be a significant food and waterborne pathogen. All over the world, different antibiotic-resistant strains of
S. flexneri
serotypes have been emerged especially multidrug-resistant strains. Recently, increased resistance was observed in cephalosporins (3rd generation), azithromycin, and fluoroquinolones. There is a need for a continuous surveillance study on antibiotic resistance that will be helpful in the update of the antibiogram. The shigellosis burden can be reduced by adopting preventive measures like delivery of safe drinking water, suitable sanitation, and development of an effective and inexpensive multivalent vaccine. This review attempts to provide the recent findings of
S. flexneri
related to epidemiology and the emergence of multidrug resistance.