Does Cephalexin (Keflex) cover Shigella?

From the Research

Cephalexin (Keflex) Coverage for Shigella

• Cephalexin is not a suitable drug for treatment of shigellosis in patients with ampicillin-resistant organisms 1
• Most ampicillin-resistant Shigella are susceptible to cephalexin, however, cephalexin failed to eradicate Shigella after 5 days of treatment in 76% of patients 1
• The failure of cephalexin was due to the relatively high minimal inhibitory concentrations and minimal bacterial concentrations of 5 or 10 mug/ml 1

Alternative Treatments for Shigella

• Ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, and ceftriaxone serve as the mainstays of treatment for Shigella infections, although growing evidence has documented decreased susceptibility or full resistance to these agents in some regions 2
• Antibiotics reduce the duration of Shigella dysentery, but regularly updated local or regional antibiotic sensitivity patterns to different species and strains of Shigella are required to guide empiric therapy 3
• Au nanoclusters have shown potential as a non-antibiotic treatment for Shigella infections, inducing oxidative stress and effectively alleviating intestinal damage caused by Shigella in mice 4

Antibiotic Resistance in Shigella

• Shigella strains are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, including cephalexin, and alternative treatments are needed 2, 5
• The susceptibility of Shigella to antibiotics should be evaluated, as resistance patterns can vary by region and species 3, 5