Skip to main content
Shigella dysenteriae

Shigella dysenteriae

9.4
A germ that causes severe diarrhoea and stomach pain in people
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Shigella dysenteriae
  • Doctors confirmed that the outbreak was due to an infection with Shigella dysenteriae.

Examples

  • Proper hand washing can help prevent the transmission of Shigella dysenteriae among children.

  • Shigella dysenteriae is commonly found in regions with poor sanitation and can spread through contaminated water.

  • The Shigella dysenteriae outbreak was serious!

  • Doctors are concerned about Shigella dysenteriae infections.

  • Shigella dysenteriae is the leading cause of dysentery outbreaks in developing countries.

  • In many cases, infection with Shigella dysenteriae results in severe diarrhea.

  • Health authorities are working to control the spread of Shigella dysenteriae through improved sanitation.

Synonyms

Shiga bacillus
vsShigella dysenteriae
  • Archaic
8.6

A germ that causes severe diarrhea in people

is a specific species name rather than a general genus-level label

Surface Forms

Morphology

shigella + dysenteriae

This is a taxonomic binomial (genus + species). If a learner knows 'Shigella' as a genus of bacteria and recognises that 'dysenteriae' relates to dysentery, they can infer it refers to a Shigella species associated with dysentery. However, the species epithet is a Latin form and technical; the meaning requires some domain/L1 knowledge and is not fully predictable for an average B1 learner, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Shigella dysenteriae gets its name from the Japanese doctor Kiyoshi Shiga, so Shigella honours 'Shiga'. The second part, dysenteriae, comes from the word for the disease 'dysentery', so the full name shows it is the germ that causes 'dysentery'.