[Diagnosis of Grigor'ev-Shiga dysentery]

The data on the relative significance and composition of Sh. dysenteriae serovars isolated in some regions of the USSR in 1975-1979 are presented. Special tests revealed that Endo agar was the best medium, while Ploskirev's agar was the worst medium for growing Sh. dysenteriae 1 (the museum strain and the newly isolated strain from Bangladesh). The testing of agar with eosine-methylene blue yielded moderate results in respect of the growth of the museum strain; as to the growth of the strain from Bangladesh, the results were identical to those obtained in testing Ploskirev's agar. The "epidemic" strain from Bangladesh was shown to correspond to the classical characteristics in its fermentative properties: polyvalent dysenteric phage and agglutinating sera produced in the USSR proved to be completely suitable for identification. The present-day clinical course and clinico-laboratory characteristics of dysentery caused by Sh. dysenteriae 1 are described. Practical recommendations on the bacteriological and clinical diagnosis of Grigoryev-Shiga dysentery, brought from an outside infection source, are proposed.