[The etiological structure of shigellosis in the former USSR--an indicator of the activity of the main routes of infection transmission].

The data on the etiological structure of Shigella infections in the USSR in 1988-1989 are presented. The study showed the dominating role of S. flexneri with S. sonnei also retaining great importance in Shigella infections. The process of the liquidation of S. dysenteriae and S. boydii infections began in some large cities. The domination of dysentery caused by S. flexneri and a high typhoid rate, particularly in Central Asia, were due to poor water supply of the population. The spread of dysentery caused by S. sonnei was completely independent of the water factor. The decisive role in the transmission of S. sonnei in infective doses was explained by decentralized milk supply.