An antibiotic supplement recommended for the selective isolation and cultivation of Shigella species.
Shigella are gram negative, non-motile, non-spore forming rod-shaped bacteria closely related to Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Shigella infection is typically via ingestion (faecal-oral contamination), depending on age and condition of the host, as few as 10 bacterial cells can be +enough to cause an infection. Shigella causes dysentery that results in the destruction of the epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa in the cecum and rectum. Some strains produce enterotoxin and Shiga toxin, similar to the verotoxin of E. coli O157:H7. The addition of antibiotics increases the selectivity of the medium.
Each vial, sufficient for 1000 mL medium contains:
