Shigellosis in Thai children: experience from a rural hospital 1985-1993.

Six hundred and ninety-four cases of shigellosis in Nakhon Nayok Hospital from January 1985 to December 1993 were studied to determine epidemiologic and microbiological features. Forty-five percent of cases were children under the age of 14 years. The majority of cases were in children under the age of four. The organism was found throughout the year, with peak incidence in June and July. The most common type isolated was Shigella flexneri, about 74.43%. Only 0.32% of organisms were Shigella dysenteriae. Shigella isolates showed a high rate of resistance to ampicillin and co-trimoxazole, in 1993 only 16.67% and 22.22% were sensitive respectively to these 2 drugs, but 100% were still sensitive to nalidixic acid. Fewer cases of shigellosis were isolated in recent years possible due to widespread use of quinolones in the treatment of acute infective diarrhea in adults.