shigellosis

[ shig-uh-loh-sis ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. an acute intestinal infection caused by a bacterium of the genus Shigella, especially S. dysenteriae, common among children and characterized by fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shigellosis¹

First recorded in 1945–50; shigell(a) + -osis

Example Sentences

The bacterium Shigella flexneri — one cause of the infectious disease shigellosis — can spread within cells that line the gut by propelling itself through the cells’ barriers.

From Science News

What’s more, antibiotics to treat shigellosis can be expensive and hard to access in those places.

From Science News