Treatment of drug-resistant Shigella infections

Abstract

Since the introduction of sulfonamides in the late 1930s, selective pressure and the widespread dissemination of mobile genetic elements conferring antimicrobial resistance have forced clinicians to seek successive agents for the treatment of multidrug-resistant shigellosis. Over the decades, the principal antibiotics used to treat Shigella infections have included tetracycline, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and nalidixic acid. Presently, ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, and ceftriaxone serve as the mainstays of treatment, although growing evidence has documented decreased susceptibility or full resistance to these agents in some regions. With diminishing pharmaceutical options available, there is an enhanced need for preventive measures in the form of improved sanitation and hygiene standards, strict use of currently effective agents, and a safe and effective licensed vaccine.

Keywords: Shigella; bacillary dysentery; diarrheal disease; multidrug resistance; shigellosis.