The current status of shigellosis in the United States.

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Abstract
The National Communicable Disease Center received reports of almost 19,000 isolations of Shigella from the inception of the Shigella Surveillance Program in the fall of 1963 to mid-1966. Two-thirds of these isolates were from children under 10. Differences were noted in age and sex distribution of the patients from whom isolates have been obtained. There are regional differences in the prevalence of serotypes. The peak incidence of shigellosis occurred in late summer. S. sonnei and S. flexneri 2 account for more than 60% of the total isolates. Non-human sources of shigellae include primates and fowl products. Shigellosis is endemic in certain medical institutions and Indian reservations, andis also present in some lower socioeconomic communities. An effective oral vaccine may facilitate control of shigellosis in confined groups.