--- title: Treatment for Shigella Infection date: 2021-01-04T20:29:00-08:00 author: admin canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-treatment" section: Resource Library --- [Foodborne Illnesses](/foodborne-illnesses) / [Shigella](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella) / # Treatment for Shigella Infection ### Anyone with a suspected *Shigella* infection should be tested for the presence of *Shigella* bacteria. Antibiotics can shorten the length of illness. For many diarrheal illnesses, rehydration is the primary course of treatment; however, *Shigella* bacteria invade the mucosal lining of the colon, which may require an additional, more robust treatment. Although shigellosis is usually a self-limiting illness, antibiotics can shorten the course, and in severe cases, might be life-saving. Historically, the antibiotics commonly used for treatment of bacterial infections, like those caused by *Shigella*, were ampicillin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ, also known as Bactrim or Septra), or ceftriaxone (Rocephin). Ciprofloxacin is also commonly used to treat adults who are infected. Unfortunately, *Shigella* bacteria have become resistant to one or more of these antibiotics. This means some antibiotics might not be effective for treatment, and that using (or overusing) antibiotics to treat shigellosis can sometimes make the bacteria more resistant. As noted in the 2012 National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) final report, 89.2% of *Shigella sonnei* isolates were resistant to streptomycin, 41.8% were resistant to TMP-SMZ, 30% were resistant to sulfamethoxazole/sulfisoxazole, 27.5% were resistant to tetracycline, and 18.1% were resistant to ampicillin. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) named *Shigella* as one of the eight priority pathogens in its Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) platform. The early implementation report from GLASS surveillance in 2020 revealed the following antibiotics as acceptable for use in shigellosis cases: fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin), third-generation cephalosporins (ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, or ceftazidime), and macrolides (azithromycin). [ Next: The Economic Impact of Shigella Infections › ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-economic-impact) ### More information about Shigella [February 26, 2020 ###### Mariscos San Juan Restaurant Shigella Outbreak and Litigation - California (2015) According to a Public Health Warning, on Saturday afternoon, October 17, 2015, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department was notified by a local hospital of 5 patients with fever ... ](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/mariscos-san-juan-restaurant-shigella-outbreak-and-litigation-california-2015) [February 11, 2018 ###### Pearl Catering Shigella Outbreak Lawsuits - Oregon (2018) On August 14, 2018 the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and Yamhill County Health and Human Services received reports of multiple people with gastrointestinal illness days after attending a wedding and ... ](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/pearl-catering-shigella-outbreak-and-litigation-oregon-2018) [November 05, 2014 ###### Salsarita Shigella Outbreak Lawsuit – Arkansas (2014) Salsarita’s Restaurant in the Walmart Home Office Café in Bentonville has reopened following a Shigella outbreak that made 275 sick in nine states. ... ](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/salsarita-shigella-outbreak-lawsuit-arkansas-2014) [March 08, 2010 ###### Subway Restaurant Shigella Outbreak Lawsuits - Illinois (2010) At least 116 people were confirmed ill with Shigella infections traced to a Subway restaurant in Lombard, IL in March of 2010. Marler Clark represented 74 people sickened in this ... ](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/subway-restaurant-shigella-outbreak-chicago) [1. View all ](/news_events/outbreaks?illness=shigella&year=all) ## All Shigella Resources [###### Shigella Food Poisoning ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/about-shigella) [###### The Incidence of Shigella Infection ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-incidence) [###### The Prevalence of Shigella in Food and Elsewhere ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-prevalence) [###### How is Shigella Infection Spread? ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-transmission) [###### Symptoms of Shigella Infection ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-symptoms-risks) [###### Complications of Shigella Infection ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-complications) [###### How is Shigellosis Diagnosed? ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-diagnosis) [###### Treatment for Shigella Infection ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-treatment) [###### The Economic Impact of Shigella Infections ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-economic-impact) [###### How to Prevent Shigella Infection ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-prevention) [###### Outbreaks of Shigella Infection ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-outbreaks) [###### Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/antimicrobial-resistance-in-bacteria-shigella) [###### Shigella References ](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/shigella/shigella-references) ### Other foodborne illnesses [E. coli](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli) [Salmonella](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/salmonella) [Listeria](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/listeria) [Hepatitis A](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hepatitis-a) [Reactive Arthritis](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/reactive-arthritis) [Guillain-Barre Syndrome](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/guillain-barre-syndrome) [Irritable Bowel Syndrome](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/irritable-bowel-syndrome) [Norovirus](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/norovirus) [Botulism](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/botulism) [Campylobacter](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/campylobacter) [Cyclospora](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/cyclospora) [Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/hemolytic-uremic-syndrome)