Optimizing <i>Shigella</i> isolation: A multi-site evaluation of laboratory culture methods for <i>Shigella</i> detection, speciation, and serotyping with different transport media and sample types in the Enterics for Global Health study

Abstract Shigella is a leading cause of diarrhea and dysentery in children under 5 in low- resource settings and several vaccines are in development. Due to its fastidious nature, Shigella can be difficult to culture and eventual vaccine trials will need to optimize the isolation of Shigella to ensure efficient sample sizes. In the recently concluded Enterics for Global Health study (EFGH) Shigella Surveillance study, we compared Shigella culture isolates rates between rectal swab vs. whole stool; between two swabs vs. one, and between Cary Blair (CB) vs. modified-Buffered Glycerol Saline (mBGS) transport media to identify the optimal methods for Shigella recovery by microbiologic culture. Among 9,476 children aged 6–35 months enrolled in the EFGH study from seven country sites,…