Shigella is an infectious bacterial infection. It is often a cause of food poisoning, but can easily be passed on during sex.
From coming into contact with infected faeces (shit) while rimming, fisting or fingering an infected person, or by sharing sex toys and douches with an infected person, or even by handling used condoms, as it’s easy to get tiny bits of faeces on your hands and transfer them to your mouth.
Recently, shigella has become more common in men who have sex with men. You only need to get a tiny amount of the bacteria in your mouth to start feeling unwell.
It’s important to wash your hands regularly, especially after going to the toilet and during or after sex.
To reduce the likelihood of infection, wear latex gloves for fisting and condoms for fucking or sharing toys, and wash your hands or shower after having sex.
Don’t share sex toys or douching equipment.
If you have been diagnosed with shigella, avoid having sex until you have fully recovered, so that you can reduce the risk of passing it on to your partners.
Symptoms of shigella typically start one to four days after exposure and include:
It is best to go to your GP or sexual health clinic for a stool (shit) sample test. Explain that you might have picked up a gut infection, possibly shigella, from sex. The doctor needs to know this so that you get the right tests and treatment. A full sexual health check-up is also a good idea.
Some people will recover with no complications within a week or 10 days, but in some cases, especially if you have severe and/or bloody diarrhoea, you may need to take antibiotics.
If you have HIV, it is especially important to get tested and treated as soon as possible.
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