SHIGELLA-INDUCED ENCEPHALOPATHY IN AN ADULT

A 71-year-old woman presented with altered level of consciousness foll owing episodes of diarrhea and abdominal pain. Shigella sonnei was lat er cultured from her stool. Although neurological complications, prima rily seizures, have been reported sequelae in children afflicted with shigellosis, there are only rare cases of encephalopathy in affected a dults. A brief discussion of the neurological complications of Shigell a infection and the yet undetermined role of Shiga toxin in producing neurotoxicity are presented. (Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Comp any)