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Shigella sonnei: epidemiology, evolution, pathogenesis, resistance and host interactions

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 23, pages 303–317 (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Shigella sonnei is a major cause of diarrhoea globally and is increasing in prevalence relative to other Shigella because of multiple demographic and environmental influences. This single-serotype species has traditionally received less attention in comparison to Shigella flexneri and Shigella dysenteriae, which were more common in low-income countries and more tractable in the laboratory. In recent years, we have learned that Shigella are highly complex and highly susceptible to environmental change, as exemplified by epidemiological trends and increasing relevance of S. sonnei. Ultimately, methods, tools and data generated from decades of detailed research into S. flexneri have been used to gain new insights into the epidemiology, microbiology and pathogenesis of S. sonnei. In parallel, widespread adoption of genomic surveillance has yielded insights into antimicrobial resistance, evolution and organism transmission. In this Review, we provide an overview of current knowledge of S. sonnei, highlighting recent insights into this globally disseminated antimicrobial-resistant pathogen and assessing how novel data may impact future vaccine development and implementation.

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Fig. 1: The global burden of Shigella disease.
Fig. 2: Phylogenetic relationship of Shigella sonnei, Escherichia coli and other Shigella.
Fig. 3: Prevalence of AMR genes in Shigella sonnei.
Fig. 4: Shigella resistance determinants and drivers of AMR.
Fig. 5: Shigella pathogenesis and immune response to infection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cambridge Institute for Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Department of Medicine, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Timothy A. Scott & Stephen Baker

  2. Department of Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

    Kate S. Baker

  3. Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Kate S. Baker

  4. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Caroline Trotter

  5. Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Caroline Trotter

  6. United Kingdom Health Security Agency, London, UK

    Claire Jenkins

  7. Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK

    Serge Mostowy, Kathryn E. Holt & Nicholas R. Thomson

  8. Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Jane Hawkey & Kathryn E. Holt

  9. Neutralizing Antibody Center, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, San Diego, CA, USA

    Hayden Schmidt

  10. Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK

    Nicholas R. Thomson

  11. International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, London, UK

    Stephen Baker

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T.A.S. and K.S.B. researched data for article. T.A.S., K.S.B., C.T., S.M. and J.H. substantially contributed to the discussion of content. T.A.S., K.S.B., C.T., S.M. and H.S. wrote the article. T.A.S., K.S.B., C.T., C.J., S.M., J.H., H.S., K.E.H., N.R.T. and S.B. reviewed and edited the manuscript before submission.

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Scott, T.A., Baker, K.S., Trotter, C. et al. Shigella sonnei: epidemiology, evolution, pathogenesis, resistance and host interactions. Nat Rev Microbiol 23, 303–317 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-024-01126-x

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