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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffMost people who have shigella infection get well on their own and don't need to see a doctor. If you or your child has severe symptoms or a high fever, you may need treatment.
What you can do
Before talking with your doctor, you may want to write a list of answers to the following questions:
- What are the symptoms?
- When did the symptoms start?
- Have you or your child been exposed to shigella infection?
- Do you or your child have a fever? If so, how high is it?
What to expect from your doctor
During the physical exam, your doctor may press on various parts of your abdomen to check for pain or tenderness. He or she may also use a cotton swab to obtain a stool culture or send you home with instructions for collecting and transporting a sample of your stool so it can be tested for evidence of infection.
- Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/191371208-2/0/1492/0.html#. Accessed May 4, 2012.
- Bowen A, et al. The Yellow Book 2012: CDC health information for international travel. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2012/chapter-3-infectious-diseases-related-to-travel/shigellosis.htm. Accessed May 3, 2012.
- Long SS, et al. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Revised Reprint. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/linkTo?type=bookPage&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7020-3468-8..50153-X--cesec14&isbn=978-0-7020-3468-8&uniqId=332491740-5. Accessed May 4, 2012.
- Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2012: 5 Books in 1. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05611-3..C2009-0-38601-8--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05611-3&uniqId=291436269-101. Accessed May 3, 2012.
- Shigellosis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/shigellosis/. Accessed May 5, 2012.
- Kosek M, et al. Shigellosis update: Advancing antibiotic resistance, investment empowered vaccine development and green bananas. Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases. 2010;23:475.
- Initiative for vaccine research. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/diarrhoeal/en/index6.html#. Accessed May 3, 2012.
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