shigella: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowTechnical/Scientific
Quick answer
What does “shigella” mean?
A genus of bacteria that causes the infectious disease dysentery.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A genus of bacteria that causes the infectious disease dysentery.
The bacteria itself, or an infection caused by it (shigellosis); often referred to in public health, medical, and microbiological contexts.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage between UK and US English. Spelling is consistent.
Connotations
Purely medical/scientific; carries strong connotations of disease, poor sanitation, and public health concern.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in both dialects, confined to medical, public health, and scientific discourse.
Grammar
How to Use “shigella” in a Sentence
[Subject: bacteria] cause [infection][Subject: person] contract/infect with shigella[Subject: lab] test for shigellaVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “shigella” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The lab will attempt to shigella-type the isolate.
- The outbreak was traced back to a food handler who had shigellaed.
American English
- The CDC is working to shigella-type the outbreak strain.
- Patients presenting with these symptoms were shigellaed.
adverb
British English
- The sample tested shigella-positive.
- The ward was operating shigella-aware.
American English
- The culture grew shigella-negative.
- The facility is run shigella-safely.
adjective
British English
- The shigella PCR test came back positive.
- They implemented shigella control measures.
American English
- The shigella outbreak was contained quickly.
- A shigella surveillance program was established.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare; might appear in pharmaceutical or public health consultancy reports.
Academic
Common in microbiology, medicine, epidemiology, and public health research papers.
Everyday
Extremely rare; only in news reports about disease outbreaks.
Technical
Primary context. Used in clinical diagnostics, lab reports, medical textbooks, and public health advisories.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “shigella”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “shigella”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “shigella”
- Incorrect plural: 'shigellas' (correct: 'shigella' or 'shigellae').
- Using it as a countable noun for a single bacterium: 'a shigella' (better: 'a shigella bacterium').
- Confusing it with salmonella or E. coli.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Shigella is usually transmitted via the faecal-oral route, often through contaminated food or water, or direct person-to-person contact.
Symptoms include diarrhoea (often bloody), fever, stomach cramps, and tenesmus (feeling the need to pass stool even when bowels are empty).
As of now, there is no widely available licensed vaccine for shigella, although several candidates are in development.
It is pronounced /ʃɪˈɡɛlə/ (shi-GEL-uh), with the stress on the second syllable.
A genus of bacteria that causes the infectious disease dysentery.
Shigella is usually technical/scientific in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “No common idioms exist for this technical term.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'She got ill' (sounds like 'shigella') from contaminated food.
Conceptual Metaphor
DISEASE IS AN INVADER / FILTH (e.g., 'shigella invaded the intestinal lining', 'shigella spread through contaminated water').
Practice
Quiz
Shigella is primarily associated with which condition?