Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting and fever. As few as 10 to 100 organisms have been shown to cause illness.
Secondary infections occur frequently.
Recently, shigellosis has become a problem in day care centers. Shigella organisms are generally considered fragile. Most outbreaks result from contamination of raw or previously cooked foods during preparation in the home or in food service settings. Often, the source of the contamination is traced to a carrier with poor personal hygiene. Foods implicated in foodborne illnesses include salads, lettuce, raw oyster, watermelon, spaghetti, beans, and hamburger.