What causes the foodborne illness shigellosis?
Shigellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Shigella, characterized by potentially sudden and severe diarrhea (gastroenteritis or bacillary dysentery) in humans. Shigella thrives in the human intestine and is commonly spread through both food and person-to-person contact. Some persons who are infected may show no symptoms at all, but may still pass the Shigella organism to others (carriers). Shigellosis is the third most common foodborne bacterial illness (about 30% less common than Salmonella and 20% less than Campylobacter).
