shigella

noun

shi·​gel·​la shi-ˈge-lə How to pronounce shigella (audio)
plural shigellae shi-ˈge-(ˌ)lē How to pronounce shigella (audio)
-(ˌ)lī
also shigellas
1
: any of a genus (Shigella) of nonmotile enterobacteria that cause dysenteries in animals and especially humans see enterobacterium illustration
2

Examples of shigella in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Cases of campylobacter, listeria and shigella remained steady while cases of cyclospora, vibrio and yersinia increased. Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2022 The homeless community was hit hard by a hepatitis A outbreak in 2017 and a shigella outbreak last year. Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2022 Homeless encampments also can be breeding grounds for shigella. Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2021 Levine has conducted human challenge trials for decades, using this approach on research into cholera, shigella, and malaria, among other diseases. Helen Branswell, STAT, 1 May 2020 Syphilis, gonorrhea, shigella and hepatitis C have all been on the rise in recent years. oregonlive.com, 20 June 2019 Strains of shigella spreading locally have also shown to be mostly resistant to the common antibiotics used to treat the disease. oregonlive.com, 20 June 2019 About 100 people attended the birthday party, and more may still get sick, as symptoms of shigella can take one to three days to show up after someone is infected, Communicable Disease Control director Carmel Clements said. Jane Wester, charlotteobserver, 2 July 2018 Sokalski said the organisms doctors are most concerned about this time of year are salmonella, shigella, campylobacter jejuni, E.coli 0157:H7 and norovirus. Donna Vickroy, Daily Southtown, 20 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shigella.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Kiyoshi Shiga †1957 Japanese bacteriologist

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shigella was in 1937

Dictionary Entries Near shigella

Cite this Entry

“Shigella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shigella. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

shigella

noun
shi·​gel·​la shi-ˈgel-ə How to pronounce shigella (audio)
1
capitalized : a genus of nonmotile aerobic bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae that form acid but no gas on many carbohydrates and that cause dysenteries in animals and especially humans
2
plural shigellae -ˌē How to pronounce shigella (audio) also shigellas : any bacterium of the genus Shigella
3

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