A Comparison between Culture and Multiplex PCR for Detection and Identification of Shigella Species in Patients with Shigellosis from Isfahan Province in 2014-2015

Acute infectious diarrhea (AID) can cause severe diarrhea which is called shigellosis. Shigella spp. are a group of pathogenic bacteria transmitted through contaminated food [1, 2]. This group of bacteria causes about 165 million cases of diarrhea each year, out of which 163 million occur in developing countries, and 1.5 million in industrialized nations [3]. Shigella species are mainly transmitted fecalorally from person to person. It may also spread indirectly through the fecal contamination of water or food [4]. The genus Shigella includes the species Shigella sonnei, Shigella boydii, Shigella dysenteriae, and Shigella flexneri [5]. Three species of Shigella, namely S. flexneri, S. sonnei, and S. dysenteriae are responsible for most cases of shigellosis. S. flexneri is seen in developing countries and S. dysenteriae only in cases of epidemics and pandemics [5-7].