Outbreak of Shigella sonnei in a rural hotel in La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain

Authors

  • Julia Alcoba-Flórez Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
  • Eduardo Pérez-Roth Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; and Biological Research Center (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
  • Sandra González-Linares Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
  • Sebastián Méndez-Álvarez University of La Laguna, Spain; and Biological Research Center (CSIC), Madrid, Spain

Keywords:

Shigella sonnei, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns, outbreaks

Abstract

Shigella sonnei is a significant cause of gastroenteritis in both developing and industrialized countries. Knowledge of the diversity and antimicrobial susceptibility of the bacterium may be helpful in the management of both individual cases and outbreaks. This study was undertaken to evaluate the molecular epidemiology of an outbreak of diarrhea due to S. sonnei. The outbreak involved 14 of 28 (50%) tourists in a small rural hotel in La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain. All of the S. sonnei isolates recovered had the same antimicrobial susceptibility and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns, suggesting that the outbreak was produced by a single strain. [Int Microbiol 2005; 8(2):133-136]

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Published

2010-02-27

Issue

Section

Research Notes