Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of <i>Shigella</i> in Ethiopia from 2000 to 2018: A Critical Review

Shigella is a non-motile, rod shaped, nonspore forming, and non-lactose fermenting facultative anaerobic Gram-negative bacterium that causes bacillary dysentery or also known as shigellosis. It is endemic throughout the world and it is among the most common causes of bacterial diarrheal diseases. Globally, it is estimated that shigellosis causes about 1,100,000 deaths per year, two-thirds of the patients being children under 5 years of age. The disease is transmitted faeco-orally, the commonest modes being person-to-person contact and contaminated food and water. It is a disease of overcrowding, insanitary conditions and poor personal hygiene, and affects mostly children of developing countries like Ethiopia. The treatment of shigellosis has currently become more challenging due to the emergence of drug resistant species and associated with a variety. of biological, pharmacological and societal variables with the worst combinations in low and middle income countries. Multidrug-resistant Shigella significantly varies from area to area of the world in relation with the practice of widespread use of antimicrobial agents. This review paper indicates isolation of Shigella infection increases time to time from under five children to hospitalized patients and also Shigella is becoming resistance to the commonly prescribed antimicrobial drugs in Ethiopia like ampicillin, Amoxicillin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline because of misuse of antimicrobials. Therefore, performing drug susceptibility test for each shigellosis case and creating awareness about the transmission, risk factors of shigellosis for the community is invaluable.