Of 207 young adults with diarrheal disease seen in four primary care clinics during the course of one year, 47 (22.7%) had shigella gastroenteritis, 39 (18.8%)—food poisoning (mainly Clostridium perfrigens), and 5 (2.4%)—Salmonellosis; while Campylolbacter jejunii and enteropathogenic E. coli accounted for 1.0% of patients each. 72.3% of Shigella gastroenteritis cases occurred during the summer months. When compared with the rest of the group, Shigellosis patients complained frequently of fever (85.1%), watery diarrhea (89.4%), stool blood (25.5%), stool mucus (31.9%), and unusual colour of stool (51.1%), but less frequently of vomiting and signs of upper respiratory tract infection. The temperature and pulse-rate of Shigellosis and salmonellosis patients examined at clinic visits were significantly higher when compared to other patients. The total leukocyte count, the percentage of neutrophils and band forms, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the blood urea nitrogen were higher in Shigellosis patients. A stepwise logistic regression analysis differentiating patients with Shigellosis from others included only temperature, stool blood and mucus, absence of upper respiratory tract complaints, water diarrhea and season of occurrence as sufficient correlates to Shigellosis, affording a correct prediction in 91.0% of cases.
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Leibovici et al. (1986) studied this question.