1. Introduction
Foodborne illness is a major international health problem. Each year, millions of persons become ill from foodborne diseases, though many cases are not reported. Shigellosis, also called bacillary dysentery, is an infectious disease caused by Shigella bacteria. The species involved are mostly Shigella sonnei (about 70%) and S. flexneri (approximately 25%) while other species are seldomly implicated . Shigella species have the potential to cause large outbreaks because
of their low infectious dose (10 cells). Foods and drinking waters can serve as vehicles of transmission of this pathogen. Each year, there are significant numbers of shigellosis outbreaks resulted from consumption of contaminated foods.