Personal Injury and Wrongful Death

Shigellosis

The following shigellosis information is provided by Pritzker Olsen, a national food safety lawfirm. Attorney Fred Pritzker and his team have recovered millions for food poisoning victims, including a recent settlement for $6,425,000. To learn more about Shigella lawyer Fred Pritzker, please see Food Poisoning Lawyer and Attorney. 

What is Shigellosis?

Shigella BacteriaShigellosis is an acute bacterial infection of the lining of the intestines caused by Shigella bacteria. In the United States, Shigella sonnei is the most common Shigella bacteria. Other strains of Shigella include Shigella flexneri and Shigella dysenteria. Shigella gastroenteritis and Shigella enteritis are alternative names for shigellosis.

The bacteria is released from the intestines into the infected persons stools, which is why stools are tested for the presence of Shigella when diagnosing shigellosis. The contaminated stool is the vehicle of contamination. When an infected person does not wash his or her hands adequately, contaminated stool can then contaminate food, water or the hands of another person.

Outbreaks of shigellosis are associated with poor sanitation, contaminated food and water, and crowded living conditions. There are about 18,000 cases of shigellosis per year in the United States. The condition is most commonly seen in day care centers, but outbreaks have been associated with restaurants, including a recent shigellosis outbreak associated with a Subway restaurant in Lombard, Illinois. Read about a Subway shigellosis lawsuit.

Shigellosis Symptoms

Getting just a little bit of the Shigella bacteria into your mouth is enough to cause symptoms of shigellosis.

Symptoms of shigellosis usually develop about 1 to 7 days (average 3 days) after you come in contact with Shigella bacteria.
Symptoms include:

  • Acute (sudden) abdominal pain or cramping
  • fever, which may cause seizures
  • Blood, mucus, or pus in stool
  • Crampy rectal pain (tenemus)
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Watery diarrhea

Shigellosis Complications

Complications of shigellosis may include:

  • Dehydration
  • Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)
  • Arthritis
  • Neurological problems, including fever-induced seizures and encephalopathy

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a severe illness that can result in death. Complications of HUS include the following:

  • Hemolytic anemia and associated blood complications
  • Abnormal kidney function
  • Kidney failure (renal failure) that may require a kidney transplant (renal transplant) - illness accompanying kidney failure is called uremia (develops when urea and other waste products are retained in the blood)
  • Gall stones - probably caused by rapid hemolysis, breaking open of red blood cells and the release of hemoglobin
  • Elevated pancreatic enzyme levels that could lead to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and or pancreatitis
  • Central Nervous System (CNS) disturbances such as irritablilty, behavior changes, disorientation, delerium, hallucinations, dizziness and tremors
  • Seizures
  • Coma
  • Stroke
  • Encephalopathy
  • Respiratory disease syndrome
  • Convulsions
  • Heart problems, including myocardial infarction, cardio myopathy, cardiogenic shock, congestive heart failure
  • Cortical blindness, caused by damage to the visual area in the brain's occipital cortex
  • Thrombocytopenia (platelet deficiency in the blood)
  • Death

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