Hypophosphatemia during Shigella infections in children

We examined serum phosphate levels in children with acute gastroenteritis. Of 107 children with documented etiology, 36 had shigellosis, 34 had salmonella gastroenteritis and 37 had rotavirus gastroenteritis. Children with culture-proven shigellosis had significantly lower serum phosphate levels (3.7 ± 0.1 mg/dL) than children with salmonella gastroenteritis (4.0 ± 0.2 mg/dL, p = 0.041) or with rotavirus (4.5 ± 0.2, p = 0.0014). Hypophosphatemia was found in 39%, 6%, and 3% of children with shigella, salmonella, or rotavirus gastroenteritis, respectively. These differences were statistically significant. This is the first report of hypophosphatemia during childhood shigellosis; this electrolyte abnormality may play a role in the other manifestations of shigellosis.