What is it about?
Risk factors for Shigella bacteremia are poorly understood. Growing trends in antimicrobial resistance may make treatment of Shigella bacteremia more difficult. We identified risk factors for Shigella bacteremia among Shigella cases who received care in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
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Why is it important?
Comparing characteristics of patients with Shigella bacteremic vs nonbacteremic infections and adjusting for potential confounders, age >65 years and HIV infection were independent risk factors for Shigella bacteremia. No Shigella bacteremia isolates in this study were multidrug resistant (MDR), however isolates from 3 nonbacteremic cases were.
Perspectives
Clinicians should be aware that patients who are elderly, and/or have HIV infection are at higher risk for Shigella bacteremia, and that these infections can be severe, requiring hospitalization. At this time, MDR Shigella strains have not been detected among bacteremic patients in VHA.
Dr. Cynthia Lucero-Obusan
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Bacteremic vs Nonbacteremic Shigella Infections in the United States Veterans Health Administration, 2000–2024, Open Forum Infectious Diseases, August 2025, Oxford University Press (OUP),
DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaf488.
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