2022 - Shigella isolates

Summary

The Enteric Reference Laboratory (ERL) typed 55 Shigella isolates out of 68 cases notified overall. This is an increase from the number of Shigella isolates typed in 2021 (3 isolates compared to 55). This correlates to opening of the NZ borders after the COVID-19 pandemic response. The number of isolates typed in 2022 is approaching pre-pandemic levels (64 in 2020 and a high of 239 isolates typed in 2017). Overseas travel was the most commonly recorded risk factor with 65.2% of associated cases reporting a travel history. Fiji, India, Australia, and Myanmar were the most commonly reported travel destinations. The speciation was split between flexneri (25 isolates) and sonnei (30 isolates). Of note, four of the Shigella flexneri were identified as serotype 6 biotype Boyd 88, which are serotypically similar to Shigella flexneri but biochemically similar to Shigella boydii. There were no Shigella boydii or dysenteriae reported in New Zealand in 2022.

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