Phage typing and drug resistance of Shigella sonnei isolated in England and Wales

• Published in: Epidemiology and infection Vol. 116; no. 3; pp. 295 - 302
• Main Authors: Bentley, C. A., Frost, J. A., Rowe, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01-06-1996
• Subjects: Adult; Bacteriology; Bacteriophage Typing; Bacteriophages; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Disease Outbreaks; Drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Dysentery, Bacillary - epidemiology; Dysentery, Bacillary - microbiology; Elementary schools; England - epidemiology; Epidemics; Epidemiologic Methods; Epidemiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Icebergs; Infections; Lactuca - microbiology; Microbiology; Plasmids; Shigella sonnei; Shigella sonnei - classification; Shigella sonnei - drug effects; Shigella sonnei - isolation & purification; Special Article; Travel; Wales - epidemiology; England; United Kingdom; Great Britain; Europe; Wales; British Isles; Human; Shigella sonnei; Typing; Drug susceptibility test; Epidemiology; Shigellosis; Infection; Resistance; Antibiotic; Food poisoning; Bacteriosis; Digestive diseases; Bacteria; Intestinal disease; Dysentery; Antibacterial agent; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0950-2688; 1469-4409
• DOI: 10.1017/S0950268800052602

Phage typing of Shigella sonnei has been used to examine isolates from the 1991–2 sonnei dysentery outbreak in England and Wales and compare them with strains isolated during and following a widespread foodborne outbreak in 1994 which was associated with consumption of imported lettuce. The distribution of phage types was different in the three periods studied with PT 3 predominating during 1991–2, PT 2 during the ‘lettuce’ outbreak in the summer months and PT 6 during the subsequent months. PT 6 was frequently associated with travel outside the UK. Variation was also seen in the distribution of drug resistance patterns.