[Bacteraemia due to Shigella flexneri serotype 6 in two patients with AIDS]

Rev Chilena Infectol. 2013 Feb;30(1):94-7. doi: 10.4067/S0716-10182013000100017.
[Article in Spanish]

Abstract

Infections due to Shigella usually remain localized to the digestive tract and are self-limited. Bacteremia is a potentially lethal complication that can occur in immunocompromised patients. We describe two episodes of bacteremia caused by Shigella in two adults with AIDS. In both patients, S. flexneri was recovered from stool and blood samples. The isolates belonged to serotype 6, were resistant only to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and showed a similar band profile by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Patients received prolonged antimicrobial treatment with a favorable outcome. There were no cases of diarrhea in other individuals admitted to the emergency room. We hypothesized that patient No. 2 was infected at the hospital from patient No. 1. However, we could not establish the way of transmission. Although rare, it is important to take into account the possible occurrence of bacteremia due to Shigella or other bacterial enteropathogens in immunocompromised patients with diarrhea.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / diagnosis*
  • AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / microbiology
  • Adult
  • Bacteremia / diagnosis*
  • Bacteremia / microbiology
  • Dysentery, Bacillary / diagnosis*
  • Dysentery, Bacillary / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Shigella flexneri / isolation & purification*