Chapter: Medical Microbiology: An Introduction to Infectious Diseases: Enterobacteriaceae

Shigella - Bacteriology

Shigella species are closely related to E. coli. Most fail to produce gas when fermentingglucose and do not ferment lactose.

SHIGELLA

BACTERIOLOGY

Shigella species are closely related to E. coli. Most fail to produce gas when fermentingglucose and do not ferment lactose. Their antigenic makeup has been characterized in a manner similar to E. coli with the exception that they lack flagella and thus H antigens.

All Shigella species are nonmotile. The genus is divided into four species which are de-fined by biochemical reactions and specific O antigens organized into serogroups. The species are Shigella dysenteriae (serogroup A), Shigella flexneri (serogroup B), Shigellaboydii (serogroup C), and Shigella sonnei (serogroup D). All but S. sonnei are furthersubdivided into a total of 38 individual O antigen serotypes specified by numbers. Shigella is the prototype invasive bacterial pathogen. All species are able to invade andmultiply inside a wide variety of epithelial cells, including their natural target, the entero-cyte. S. dysenteriae type A1 (Shiga bacillus), the species that was first discovered, is the most potent producer of Shiga toxin. Other Shigella species produce various molecular forms of Shiga toxin.

Study Material, Lecturing Notes, Assignment, Reference, Wiki description explanation, brief detail

Medical Microbiology: An Introduction to Infectious Diseases: Enterobacteriaceae : Shigella - Bacteriology |