Rifampicin therapy in shigellosis in infancy

Eleven infants aged 1-2 years suffering from shigellosis associated with Shigella flexneri type 6 were treated with rifampicin. All were initially treated with antimicrobial drugs to which Sh. flexneri was shown to be sensitive, but without effect. Rifampicin was effective in curing gastrointestinal symptoms and eradicating the bacilli in all infants in 5 days. The drug was given in a dose of 10-12 mg/kg per day divided into two equal parts, for 7 days. No untoward side effects were observed. Our experience should encourage the use of this agent in controlling outbreaks of shigellosis and in curing resistant Shigella spp. infections where other antimicrobial agents prove to be inefficient.