shigella (redirected from Shigela)

shigella

Any of the rod-shaped bacteria that make up the genus Shigella, which are normal inhabitants of the human intestinal tract and can cause dysentery, or shigellosis. Shigellae are gram-negative (see gram stain), non-spore-forming, stationary bacteria. S. dysenteriae, spread by contaminated water and food, causes the most severe dysentery because of its potent toxin, but other species may also be dysentery agents.