16599              SHIGELLA DYSENTERY

The patient was a girl aged 8 who collapsed and died after a short gastro-intestinal illness for which antibiotics, (chloramphenicol and kanamycin) were given by her local doctor.  The antibiotics were given before stool cultures were made and no pathogenic organisms were recovered during life.

The specimen consists of the colon mounted in 3 pieces.  The whole colon is intensely and uniformly congested and the mucosa is swollen and nodular, with a few superficial ulcers here and there.  Pale exudate covers the surface and the serosal aspect also shows marked vascular congestion.  Histology shows marked haemorrhagic necrosis of the mucosa with acute superficial ulceration.  The submucosa is markedly oedematous and congested.