Shigella sonnei Does Not Use Amoebae as Protective Hosts

Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei bacteria cause the majority of all shigellosis cases worldwide. However, their distributions differ, with S. sonnei predominating in middle- and high-income countries and S. flexneri predominating in low-income countries. One proposed explanation for the continued range expansion of S. sonnei is that it can survive in amoebae, which could provide a protective environment for the bacteria. In this study, we demonstrate that while both S. sonnei and S. flexneri can survive coculture with the free-living amoebae Acanthamoebae castellanii, bacterial growth is predominantly extracellular. All isolates of Shigella were degraded following phagocytosis by A. castellanii, unlike those of Legionella pneumophila, which can replicate intracellularly. Our data suggest that S. sonnei is not able to use amoebae as a protective host to enhance environmental survival. Therefore, alternative explanations for S. sonnei emergence need to be considered. IMPORTANCE The distribution of Shigella species closely mirrors a country's socioeconomic conditions. With the transition of many populous nations from low- to middle-income countries, S. sonnei infections have emerged as a major public health issue. Understanding why S. sonnei infections are resistant to improvements in living conditions is key to developing methods to reduce exposure to this pathogen. We show that free-living amoebae are not likely to be environmental hosts of S. sonnei, as all Shigella strains tested were phagocytosed and degraded by amoebae. Therefore, alternative scenarios are required to explain the emergence and persistence of S. sonnei infections.