Twelve cases of Shigella sonnei infection, with two deaths, occurred at a custodial institution in Donelson, Tennessee, in April and May 1973. Nine of the cases and both deaths were in patients hospitalized at the institution's infirmary. The patients with nosocomial shigellosis were significantly younger and had been hospitalized significantly longer than controls. Epidemiologic investigation implicated staff members in the transmission of illness from one patient to another and identified the previous use of broad-spectrum antibiotics as a significant factor in placing patients at risk of acquiring shigellosis.
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