Emergence of extensively drug-resistant Shigella sonnei strain in France

Shigellosis, a highly contagious diarrheal disease, is caused by Shigella bacteria circulating in industrialized or industrializing countries. Scientists from the National Reference Center for Escherichia coli, Shigella and Salmonella at the Institut Pasteur who have been monitoring Shigella in France for several years have detected the emergence of extensively drug-resistant strains of Shigella sonnei. Bacterial genome sequencing and case characteristics (with most cases being reported in male adults) suggest that these strains, which originated in South Asia, mainly spread among men who have sex with men. This observation needs to be taken into account by clinicians and laboratories when testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and systematic antibiograms should be performed if a Shigella strain is isolated to improve treatment for patients infected with highly resistant strains. The results were published in the journal Nature Communications.

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