Bacterium
Shigella species
Nonmotile non-lactose fermenting rod
shih-GEL-uh
High-yield clue
Nonmotile non-lactose fermenter is the classic Salmonella contrast.
Overview
Enteric Gram-negative rods used in coursework to contrast nonmotility, non-lactose fermentation, and toxin-mediated vocabulary with Salmonella and E. coli.
Classification
- Gram-negative
- Rod
- Enterobacterales
Lab & identification clues
- Non-lactose fermenter
- Nonmotile teaching clue
- Shiga toxin vocabulary (classically S. dysenteriae type 1)
Associations
- Dysentery vocabulary
- Low infectious-dose concept
- Food/water public-health framing
Commonly confused with
- Salmonella enterica
- E. coli pathotypes
- Campylobacter jejuni
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.