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Symptoms of dysentery (shigellosis)
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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The incubation period of dysentery (shigellosis) depends mainly on the route of infection and the amount of the pathogen. It usually ranges from 6-8 hours to 7 days, averaging 2-3 days.
Dysentery (shigellosis) almost always begins acutely, with a rise in body temperature to 38-39 °C and above, which lasts no more than 3-5 days. Often during the first day of the disease, a single and repeated vomiting is noted, which usually does not recur in the following days. Vomiting that lasts 3 days or more is not typical for shigellosis.
The child becomes restless, refuses to eat, sleeps poorly, often complains of headache and abdominal pain, often cramping, without clear localization or in the left iliac region. The stool becomes more frequent, becomes liquid. Pathological impurities appear in the form of cloudy mucus, greenery, streaks of blood, less often - an admixture of scarlet blood ("hemocolitic" stool). At the beginning of the disease, the stool is usually abundant, fecal. However, by the end of the first day, more often on the 2-3rd day of the disease, the stool becomes scanty and is a lump of cloudy mucus (often pus) with streaks (or an admixture) of blood - "rectal spit".
In the acute period of dysentery (shigellosis), tenesmus appears - nagging or sharp pains in the abdomen before defecation. Painful urges to defecate occur as a result of simultaneous spasm of the sigmoid colon and anal sphincters. Sometimes the urges are false - the child sits on the potty, strains, complains of abdominal pain, but no bowel movements occur. False urges and straining during defecation can be so pronounced and frequent that they can lead to prolapse of the rectal mucosa. In recent years, prolapse of the rectal mucosa has been observed rarely, more often the anus is pliable with sphincteritis, less often - gaping of the anus.
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