Bacillary dysentery is a bacterial infection that affects your digestive system. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting. It’s most common in areas that don’t have water sanitation. Most cases go away without treatment. But severe cases can be life-threatening and require treatment at a healthcare facility.
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Bacillary dysentery (pronounced “BAS-uh-ler-ee” “DIS-uhn-ter-ee”) is a gastrointestinal (GI) disease — it affects your digestive system (GI tract). “Bacillary” means it relates to bacteria. Dysentery is severe diarrhea that contains blood or mucus.
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If you have bacillary dysentery, a bacterial infection becomes more severe, causing inflammation in your small and large intestines. Symptoms range from mild to life-threatening.
Anyone can get bacillary dysentery, and the bacteria that cause it spread easily. It affects about 165 million people worldwide each year and kills more than 1 million people each year. It’s more common in areas that don’t have water sanitation — facilities that prevent diseases that spread through drinking water.
Bacillary dysentery symptoms may include:
Your symptoms may be mild or severe.
Some of the most common bacteria that can cause bacillary dysentery include:
These bacteria usually pass from person to person when poop from an infected person gets into another person’s mouth (fecal-oral route). Common examples include:
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The incubation period for the bacteria that can lead to bacillary dysentery can be from one day to a week. An incubation period is the amount of time between exposure to a germ and the appearance of symptoms.
Bacillary dysentery complications may include:
These complications may be life-threatening. It’s important to get medical care right away if you have symptoms.
Healthcare providers will review your medical history, ask about your symptoms and conduct a physical exam. If they think you have bacillary dysentery, they’ll recommend a stool culture. A stool culture is a type of bacterial culture test. It checks a sample of your poop for the presence of bacteria that can cause bacillary dysentery.
Many people who have bacillary dysentery don’t need medical treatment. Symptoms often get better in a few days to a week. In these cases, you should:
In severe cases that require medical attention, treatment often includes:
Visit a healthcare provider if your symptoms don’t go away after a few days or if they get worse.
Go to the nearest urgent care or emergency room if you have signs of moderate or severe dehydration, like:
Most people who have bacillary dysentery feel better in a few days without medical treatment. But some people are at a greater risk of developing dehydration. Dehydration complications may cause:
In severe cases, dehydration can also be fatal.
The best way to prevent bacillary dysentery is to prevent the spread of germs. Wash your hands with soap and clean water after using the restroom and before handling food.
You can also help reduce your risk of infection by:
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If you have bacillary dysentery, the following steps can help prevent spreading the infection. For the first 48 hours after your last symptoms, you should avoid:
It’s also a good idea to:
Bacteria cause bacillary dysentery. A single-celled parasite (amoeba) causes amoebic dysentery (amoebiasis).
Stomach pain and diarrhea with blood or mucus are some of the telltale signs of bacillary dysentery. It’s a common condition, and it usually goes away on its own without treatment.
In the meantime, isolate yourself from others if you can (even better if you have a second bathroom to use by yourself) to keep the germs from spreading and drink fluids to help prevent dehydration. If your symptoms linger (or get worse) and you can’t hold down water, get to the nearest urgent care or ER for treatment.
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Last reviewed on 06/30/2025.
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