Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A. Clinical Presentation
Short incubation period (1-7 days, usually 48 hrs)
Frequent passage of loose, scanty faeces containing blood & mucus
Abdominal cramps & tenesmus
Fever & vomiting may be present
Complications include arthritis, toxic neuritis, conjunctivitis & in
children, intussusceptions
Hemolytic uremic syndrome occur as complication in severe cases
B. Organisms responsible
Shigella sp: 1. S. dysenteriae (Group A)
2. S. flexneri (Group B)
3. S. boydii (Group C)
4. S. sonnei (Group D)
C. Specimen collection & Transport
Sample
Fresh stool (specimen of choice)
Mucus flecks
Rectal swabs
Sample Collection
25 ml screw-capped, wide-mouthed plastic container.
1 teaspoon (5 mL) of faeces is collected into the container.
Transport of Specimen
Transmit the specimen as soon as possible.
If delay is unavoidable, transport medium- Buffered glycerol saline is
used.
D. Macroscopic Examination
1. Characterized by the presence of mucus & blood
E. Microscopic Examination (Wet mount)
A drop of fresh stool sample is placed onto a drop of Methylene Blue
taken on a slide.
A coverslip is applied & examined under high dry objective lens (40x).
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Observations
Presence of faecal leucocytes
Presence of red blood cells
F. Culture: Inoculated in solid selective media & enrichment broth
Solid selective Media
Media
MacConkey agar
Colony characterstics
Pale in color except S.sonnei which is a late
lactose
fermenter,
become
pink
when
Deoxycholate agar
Salmonella Shigella agar
Result
Non-motile
Oxidase
Negative
Positive
Glucose fermented with acid no gas
Lactose not fermented except S. sonnei
Mannitol fermented with acid no gas except S.
dysenteriae
Maltose not fermented
Sucrose not fermented except S.sonnei
Xylose not fermented
Positive
Negative
Positive
Negative
Negative
Catalase
Indole production
Methyl red
Voges-Proskauer
Citrate Utilization test
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Urease
Triple Sugar Iron agar
Negative
Alkaline slant / Acidic butt ( K/A, no gas, no
H2S)
Phenylalanine deaminase Negative
Not Fermented
(S.dysenteriae)
Lactose Fermentation
For Confirmation by Serotyping
If Positive
Test S.dysenteriae monovalent antisera
Non Lactose Fermenter
(S.sonnei)
For Confirmation
Test S.sonnei antisera
For Confirmation
Test S. flexneri polyvalent antisera
If Positive
Test S. flexneri monovalent antisera
If Negative
Test S.boydii polyvalent antisera
If Positive
Test S.boydii monovalent antisera
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