Susceptibility of Shigella species to erythromycin

Two of the most common causes of inflammatory enteritis are Campylobacter fetus subsp. jejuni and Shigella species. No single antimicrobial agent is recommended for treatment of both diseases. Erythromycin is used to treat C. fetus subsp. jejuni infections but has not been studied in shigellosis. For this reason, we determined the susceptibility of 22 strains of Shigella to erythromycin and found that Shigella species are susceptible to concentrations of erythromycin which are obtainable in stool.