Sexually transmitted shigella diagnoses rise amid drug resistance concerns

Sexually transmitted cases of shigella in England rose to 2,560 diagnoses in 2025, according to figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), with antibiotic resistance causing concern.

This is a rise of 242 diagnoses when compared with the 2024 figure of 2,318, which again was a rise from 2,052 recorded in 2023.

Shigella, often mistaken for food poisoning, is a gut infection spread through bacteria from faeces.

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Infection can arise from only a tiny amount of bacteria and it can be passed on during sex, directly or through unwashed hands.

Symptoms commonly appear within one to four days and include diarrhoea, sometimes with blood, stomach cramps and fever.

Sexually transmitted shigella predominantly affects gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM).

Most cases of shigella will resolve without treatment. More severe cases do require medication, but the options available are becoming limited.

The two strains most commonly spread through sexual contact among GBMSM in England are Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri.

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In 2025, 86% of Shigella sonnei samples and 94% of Shigella flexneri samples tested showed resistance to antibiotics, while more than half of Shigella sonnei cases were extensively drug-resistant.

Head of sexually transmitted infections at UKHSA, Dr Katy Sinka, said: 'The rise in sexually transmitted Shigella cases is concerning, but the risk can be reduced through good hygiene during and after sex, and by using condoms — helping to protect both yourself and your partners.

'Those diagnosed with Shigella may also have been exposed to other sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, so a sexual health screen – at a clinic or by ordering tests online – is recommended.'

Meanwhile, the UKHSA's latest provisional quarterly STI surveillance data for England (July to September 2025) showed a reduction in both gonorrhoea (15,910 diagnoses, down from 16,290 the previous quarter) and infectious syphilis (1,860 diagnoses, down from 2,090).

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However, there is a growing concern about antibiotic-resistant gonorrhoea.

The number of ceftriaxone-resistant gonorrhoea cases more than doubled in 2025 at 29 cases, compared with 13 in the previous year.